Before the Champions League match, according to Dzialdowo’s players, the balls fluttered because of the ventilation in the Wiener Neustädter Remise. The Poles’ nerves were flaring during the game. Already in the first game it became clear to the guests: This time it won’t be as easy as last season…
… In January, Dzialdowo shot Wiener Neustädter out of the Europe Cup quarter-finals with a total score of 6-0. But back then, Austria’s top team didn’t have Jin Ueda in their team. The Japanese dominated against Jakub Dyjas after an even opening phase, won set one 11:6 and took a four-point lead in the second round, but after a time-out the Pole turned things around and earned a set point.
Ueda with strong nerves
Ueda defended, scored two more points after the equalizer and made it 2-0. Ueda confidently played home the third set – 11:6, 12:10, 11:6. Wiener Neustadt led 1-0. In the second match of the evening, Wiener Neustadt’s youngster Ivor Ban (as expected) didn’t have much of a chance. Ban lost to Dzialdowo’s top man Jonathan Groth (number 30 in the world) 8:11, 4:11, 4:11.
Wiener Neustadt coach Martin Doppler definitely took the defeat in the duel between the two left-handers into account in tactical poker. He put his number two, Frane Kojic, on the Polish number three, the Japanese Kaii Konishi. It was a match of equals that was hard to beat in terms of drama in the first set. First Kojic missed a set point, which he fended off, and won the set 13:11 with an edge serve.
Kojic breaks his opponent
In the second round, Kojic missed a 5-1 lead. The Croatian broke free again with probably the most spectacular point of the evening – 9:9. But Konishi got through both serves and equalized at 11:9. In the third set, Kojic was 1:4 behind before scoring five points in a row. Afterwards, both players had problems with their serves. Kojic won two set points with one of the many breaks and used the first one on serve. This broke Konishi’s resistance. Kojic took the fourth set 11:4.
Jin Ueda celebrated the victory over the world number 30. Jonathan Groth.
Photo:
Malcolm Zottl
Wiener Neustadt led 2-1 before the top game between Ueda and Groth. The Dane had problems with the length of his shots right from the start against the experienced Japanese. The balls kept sailing out of bounds. Ueda easily won the first set 11:4. The second round was much more balanced. Nobody was able to break away decisively. Ueda then won two set points and, with a bit of luck, took advantage of the second one (11:9).
Wiener Neustadt was only one step away from the big surprise. But Groth got going better and won the third set quite confidently 11:7. At the start of set four, Ueda was better again, starting with a 6-2 run. Groth scored four points to equalize. But Ueda quickly gained a small lead again and brought it home with a converted match point to make it 11:9.
Now Wr. Neustadt has every chance
Wiener Neustadt wins the match against Dzialdowo 3-1 and stays at the top of Group C. “We were 30:70, if not 20:80, outsiders. An extraordinary achievement,” said Wiener Neustadt chairman Franz Gernjak. For Wiener Neustadt it was the second victory in the second game of the Champions League main round (Top 12 in Europe). The success over Dzialdowo counts even more than the one against Hennebont on the first matchday (the French were severely weakened in the 2-3 defeat).
Wiener Neustadt now, completely surprisingly, has a chance of winning the group or making it to the Champions League semi-finals. At least the gate to moving on to the Europe Cup quarter-finals is wide open. The next groundbreaking game is scheduled for Sunday (3 p.m.). Hennebont comes to the Wiener Neustädter Remise for the return game.
