by Simon Daish

Both sides entered the tie in search of their first title win on the Champions League stage and with just one seeding position separating Dr. Casl and Bursa Buyuksehir Belediyespor it will come as little surprise that the two teams were locked in a tight battle.

Last year’s Women’s ETTU Cup champions Bursa Buyuksehir Belediyespor struck first in the match thanks to Hu Melek, who achieved a praise-worthy victory over Doo Hoi Kem (11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 5-11, 11-5).

Quickly, however, the picture began to change with the visitors responding with back-to-back wins: Li Jie successfully levelled the scores at one win apiece, beating Simay Kulakceken in straight games (11-1, 11-5, 11-4) before Fu Yu put Dr. Casl in front with a five games success against Yana Noskova (11-4, 9-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-4) in the third fixture of the tie.

With confidence on her side Hu Melek gave the home fans more to cheer about with a strong display in her encounter with Li Jie (11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6) but in the end it was the Dr. Casl players who came away from the match with smiles on their faces following a three games to one victory for Doo Hoi Kem against Simay Kulakceken (11-6, 11-13, 11-7, 11-5).

Advantage Dr. Casl after the 1st leg of action but who will come out on top when the two teams meet in Zagreb on Friday 18th May for the return leg of the final?