Bundesliga

The season in the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) is heading towards a brilliant end: in the play-offs, four teams are fighting for a place in the Liebherr TTBL final, where the German championship will ultimately be decided. We take a closer look at the semi-finalists, this time Borussia Düsseldorf and TSV Bad Königshofen.

The squad

Timo Boll, Dang Qiu, Anton Källberg, Kay Stumper, Borgar Haug - there is hardly another team in Europe with such class as Borussia Düsseldorf. This is confirmed by all the important statistics, the world rankings as well as the TTBL record and the title haul. If all the players are fit, the first three mentioned are likely to play in the semi-finals and make Borussia the favorites to reach the Liebherr TTBL final. However, TSV Bad Königshofen proved that they are a serious competitor for the record champions in the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) in the spring. Jin Ueda, a world-class player, moved to Bad Königshofen in the winter, and Bastian Steger also continues to guarantee points. Behind them, Filip Zeljko and Martin Allegro proved to be a dangerous addition and also a trump card in doubles. Kilian Ort has not yet played a match this season due to injury.

The history of the final

No team in Germany has reached the final of the German Team Championships more often than Borussia, and no team has won the crown more often. With 33 titles, Düsseldorf is the undisputed German record champion, and Timo Boll and Co. have won the final against 1. FC Saarbrücken TT in each of the past three years. With 77 titles across all competitions, Borussia is even one of the most successful sports clubs in Germany. For Bad Königshofen, on the other hand, it is their first participation in the play-offs and also the greatest success in the club's history. Since promotion to the TTBL in 2017, TSV has been on a steady upward trajectory and could now even reach the Liebherr TTBL final for the first time.

The road to the play-offs

Unlike in previous years, Borussia did not manage to win the main round this time. Nevertheless, the path to the play-offs was a confident one: with nine wins in a row at the start of the season, Düsseldorf had established itself in the top flight early on and demonstrated its renewed title ambitions. In the second half of the season, however, the team suffered six defeats and ended up in second place. With 26:14 points, the record champions finished surprisingly well behind Saarbrücken. Bad Königshofen, on the other hand, put in a strong second half of the season and, with seven wins, were the second-best team in the second half of the season behind FCS (16:4). Bolstered by the addition of winter signing Jin Ueda, the club from Lower Franconia climbed up the table and ultimately secured the best haul in the club's history and third place with 24:16 points.

The previous duels

The two teams have already met three times in all competitions so far this season. Bad Königshofen landed the big coup and a milestone for their play-off participation last March: In Düsseldorf, Ueda (3:0 against Källberg), Zeljko (3:1 against Qiu) and the double Ueda/Allegro (3:0 against Qiu/Haug) ensured the 3:2 coup for the guests. The other two matches, however, went to Düsseldorf: Källberg, Stumper and Haug scored a 3-0 win for the record champions in the first leg; the same result was achieved in the cup quarter-final thanks to the individual victories of Källberg, Boll and Qiu.

Overview of the play-offs

Game 1
Monday, May 20, 4 p.m.: TSV Bad Königshofen – Borussia Düsseldorf
Thursday, May 23, 7 p.m.: SV Werder Bremen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT

Game 2
Thursday, May 23, 7 p.m.: Borussia Düsseldorf – TSV Bad Königshofen
Sunday, May 26, 3 p.m.: 1. FC Saarbrücken TT – SV Werder Bremen

Game 3
Sunday, May 26, 1 p.m.: Borussia Düsseldorf – TSV Bad Königshofen
Tuesday, June 4, 7 p.m.: 1. FC Saarbrücken TT – SV Werder Bremen

Tickets for the Liebherr TTBL Final 2024 are still available in all categories in our ticket store.