Tarnobrzeg, Poland – The UCAM Cartagena table tennis team secured a dramatic berth in the ETTU Champions League Women’s Final Four on Friday, overcoming a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 deficit from the first leg against Saint-Quentin Table Tennis of France. The Spanish team’s victory, confirmed after a tense golden match on home soil, marks a historic achievement for the club.
The Cartagena squad, national champions of the 2024/2025 Iberdrola League and currently leading the domestic tournament with a perfect 10-0 record, improved upon their performance from the previous year’s Champions League campaign, where they were eliminated by TTC Berlin Eastside.
The comeback hinged on a regulation 3-1 win followed by a decisive golden match. Olympian María Xiao proved pivotal, initially leveling the series with a 3-0 victory over Linda Bergstrom (11-6, 11-6, 11-9). However, Tin Tin Ho faced a tough challenge, ultimately falling to Polina Mikhailova in a five-set thriller (11-6, 3-11, 11-5, 10-12, 4-6). Fei Qi then restored Cartagena’s momentum, defeating Camille Lutz 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 12-10.
The decisive match came down to Xiao once again, who battled Mikhailova to a 3-2 victory (11-7, 6-11, 11-6, 7-11, 6-4) forcing the golden match. In the golden match, Qi defeated Mikhailova 15-13, and Xiao secured the final point with another win over Bergstrom, 11-6, sealing the improbable reversal.
UCAM Cartagena coach Jesús Cantero strategically adjusted his lineup, assigning Ho to the second position and Fei Qi to the intermediate point, a plan that ultimately proved successful. Cantero’s tactical adjustments were crucial in capitalizing on the International Federation’s golden match rule, which allowed for a tiebreaker after the initial 3-1 victory.
The Final Four tournament is scheduled to grab place on May 23 and 24 in Tarnobrzeg, Poland. UCAM Cartagena now awaits the outcome of the match between Metz and Saint-Dennis, scheduled for Monday, to determine their semifinal opponent.
