Eskilstuna by STIGA and Kosta SK offered an even and exciting team match in the Table Tennis League. After several well-played matches, the meeting was decided first in the doubles, where the home team Eskilstuna was ultimately victorious.
Eskilstuna by STIGA Valde att spela debutanten Kim Taehyun, David Björkryd, Amirreza Abassi and Hugo Törngren. Kosta SK gave chances to Pär Gerell, Martin Fröseth, Mathieu De Saintilans and Aleksi Räsänen.
The visitors Kosta got off to a good start when defensive player Mathieu De Saintilans made a solid effort against Hugo Törngren. Good length all over the table and few mistakes made for the final score 3-0 in the set.
Eskilstuna then made sure to equalize the team match after a scare. Kim Taehyun won the first two sets through his quick footwork and telling forehand. Most of the points then came through the first attack in Martin Fröseth’s backhand. After that, Fröseth showed a stronger defense and smarter returns, and went up to 2-2 in the set. In the tiebreaker it was then even all the way before Taehyun finally got to cheer in front of the home crowd, after 11-9.
Eskilstuna then took over the baton when Amirreza Abassi was too big for Aleksi Räsänen. Abassi’s rubber outsmarted Räsänen and the victory in three straight sets was a fact.
The last match before the break was played between David Björkryd and Pär Gerell. The match itself was well played and even. Once it came together, Gerell was the strongest and drew the longest straw. After having five match points in the fourth set, the seasoned Gerell was finally able to decide and equalize to 2-2 in the team match.
The meeting between the two evenly matched teams swung again after the break. Martin Fröseth continued his fine game and won convincingly against David Björkryd. On the next table, Kim Taehyun took his second win of the evening with an impressive and fast game against Pär Gerell with 3-1.
One of the highlights of the evening was the one between the two defensive players Amirreza Abassi and Mathieu De Saintilans. The home player Abassi proved to be the strongest and had a bigger repertoire for the night with his variation in the game, and the final score was written at 3-0.
That the teams were evenly matched could be read from the table and to decide the whole thing a double was required. This after Aleksi Räsänen defeated Hugo Törngren 3-1 in a set after few mistakes.
Eskilstuna Valde i dubbeln att ge Taehyun/Abassi chancen simultanet som Räsänen/Gerell stood på andra sidan bordet för sitt Kosta.
It was Räsänen/Gerell who took command by winning the first set. Taehyun/Abassi did not give up and provided a strong finish in the second set to force a tie. With momentum, it was Taehyun/Abassi who continued to impress. After 11-3 in the deciding set, it was Eskilstuna who picked up the all-important bonus point.
Eskilstuna by STIGA’s team manager Martin Björkryd is satisfied with the victory, even though he had hoped for three points.
– It was a fair victory, where I had hoped for three points. Today our foreign players had to pull a big load, so we have to become more who win matches. Both Hugo (Törngren) and David (Björkryd) probably feel that they want to contribute more.
How beautiful was this victory?
– It is clear that it is nice. It had felt really hard and unfair to only get one point.
A return meeting between the teams awaits next Tuesday. Eskilstuna expects a tough task and believes that they will have to raise their level.
– Kosta will be hell-bent on revenge next week, but we have to be able to handle it. We will probably have to step up properly to even take two points next week. They go home to Kosta and do everything to get revenge, so we are preparing for that.
Kim Taehyun made his debut and did so with flying colors as he won both his singles and the decisive doubles with Abassi. However, he downplays his own performance.
– I don’t think too much about my own performance, it’s a team match. It was an important victory to be able to challenge for a semi-final place. The win gave us great confidence and I am grateful for my teammates. Kudos to Kosta for a good fight and their sportsmanship, Taehyun concludes.
Kosta SK are happy with a point. This considering the conditions they came in with before the match.
– We are a team that is disarmed and a little bit injured, with that in mind, we stand up well. Two points would of course have been better than one, but we have to summarize after the meeting at home, says team manager Joel Svensson.
Svensson continues:
– We will have everyone in place next week, so that’s nice. We will go through this match, recharge and then take new steps.
Both teams take important points with them ahead of the return match next week. Clearly, an exciting continuation awaits the season ahead.
Full results from the match:
Kim Taehyun – Martin Fröseth 3-2 (12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9)
Hugo Törngren – Mathieu De Saintilans 0-3 (10-12, 5-11, 7-11)
David Björkryd – Pär Gerell 1-3 (9-11, 10-12, 11-6, 14-16)
Amirreza Abassi – Aleksi Räsänen 3-0 (11-2, 11-6, 11-8)
Kim Taehyun – Pär Gerell 3-1 (11-3, 14-12, 2-11, 11-6)
David Björkryd – Martin Fröseth 0-3 (5-11, 3-11 5-11)
Amirreza Abassi – Mathieu De Saintilans 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-6)
Hugo Törngren – Aleksi Räsänen 1-3 (11-6, 8-11, 9-11, 5-11)
Abassi/Taehyun – Gerell/Räsänen 2-1 (6-11, 11-8, 11-3)
Other matches in round 7:
11/12, 18:30: BTK Record – Halmstad BTK Webcast
11/12, 18:30: Tramway’s BTK – Söderhamn’s UIF Webcast
17/12, 18:30: Eslövs AI BTK – Falkenbergs BTK Webcast
You can find all the results and game schedule from the Pingi League By STIGA here.
Bild: Hugo Thörngren, Eskilstuna village STIGA Photo: Erik Kruse
