On Friday evening, TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen secured their first victory of the season in the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) with a 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund. This marks a successful start to the fourth matchday after two previous defeats. Fresh off their 3-2 win against TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt in the German Cup quarterfinals just two days earlier, the four-time German champions built momentum and now have a chance to level their season points in a make-up match against TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau on Monday.
A key factor in the victory was the return of world No. 3, Hugo Calderano, who made his season debut in the TTBL and became the match-winner. Though Dortmund’s Li Yongyin gave his team an early lead with a 3-0 win (11:9, 11:4, 11:9) over Shunsuke Togami, Calderano responded with a 3-1 comeback victory (10:12, 11:8, 11:6, 11:4) over Cedric Nuytinck. Calderano then sealed the overall win with a dominant 3-0 (11:7, 12:10, 11:6) performance against Dortmund’s top player Li Yongyin. Simon Gauzy, another standout for Ochsenhausen, also contributed with a commanding 3-0 win (11:4, 11:7, 11:5) over Simon Berglund.
For Borussia Dortmund, this was their third loss in four games, putting them at 2-6 points for the season. Despite a close 2-3 defeat against 1. FC Saarbrücken TT in the German Cup just days before, they were unable to overcome Ochsenhausen's strong lineup. "When Ochsenhausen plays with their full squad, they are one of the top three teams in the Bundesliga," said Nuytinck post-match, acknowledging his opponents' strength.
The fourth matchday continues with key fixtures: TTC OE Bad Homburg will face TSV Bad Königshofen on Saturday evening, followed by Sunday matches between SV Werder Bremen and Post SV Mühlhausen, as well as ASC Grünwettersbach against 1. FC Saarbrücken TT. All TTBL matches are streamed live and exclusively on Dyn.
Borussia Dortmund – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 1:3
Li Yongyin – Shunsuke Togami 3:0 (11:9, 11:4, 11:9)
Cedric Nuytinck – Hugo Calderano 1:3 (12:10, 8:11, 6:11, 4:11)
Simon Berglund – Simon Gauzy 0:3 (4:11, 7:11, 5:11)
Li Yongyin – Hugo Calderano 0:3 (7:11, 10:12, 6:11)
Samstag, 21. September
17.30 Uhr: TTC OE Bad Homburg – TSV Bad Königshofen
Sonntag, 22. September
14 Uhr: SV Werder Bremen – Post SV Mühlhausen
17 Uhr: ASC Grünwettersbach – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT
Montag, 23. September
19 Uhr: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell
Mittwoch, 9. Oktober
18 Uhr: TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – Borussia Düsseldorf
Beitragsfoto oben: Hugo Calderano von den TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen (Foto: Nicolai Schaal)