by Simon Daish

The deal was announced via TTC Berlin Eastside’s official website on Tuesday 6th February and club manager Andreas Hain is excited to see Matilda Ekholm competing in the German capital on a regular basis.

“Matilda is one of the best European players with great international experience. In addition, Matilda and Gina [Georgina Pota] have been acting very successfully as a doubles partnership at international tournaments for several years… We are looking forward to working with her.” Andreas Hain

Competing at the China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF-Europe Top 16 Cup at the beginning of the month Ekholm demonstrated her ability on the international stage, achieving a personal best fourth position finish at the tournament in the Swiss city of Montreux after positive outcomes against Viktoria Pavlovich and Sofia Polcanova.

The deal to join Berlin was finalised following the conclusion of the Europe Top 16 Cup and Ekholm can’t wait to wear the club’s colours come the arrival of the new campaign.

“When the request came from Berlin, there was no hesitation for me. In my opinion, TTC has become the best-run club in Europe in recent years, and every year sends strong teams into the race. Therefore, I am super happy to be a part of this team from next season.” Matilda Ekholm

Shan Xiaona, Petrissa Solja and Georgina Pota are just some of the highly talented names associated with TTC Berlin Eastside and the addition of Matilda Ekholm to that list comes as welcome news for club coach Irina Palina.

“She fits in very well with our team. We talked in great detail. My impression is that we have a very good team player who understands our philosophy.” Irina Palina

Source: TTC Berlin Eastside official website