Bundesliga

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell confidently defended its lead in the table tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) with a clear 3:0 victory over Post SV Mühlhausen. In front of their home crowd, the East Hessians left no doubt about their class and delivered a strong performance both in terms of play and mentally.

When it comes to shaping great moments, Dimitrij Ovtcharov is the perfect choice. The multiple Olympic medal winner won the opening match against Irvin Bertrand in three sets. The first two sets were evenly matched and the Frenchman even had a set point in the second set, which Ovtcharov brilliantly fended off (11:8, 14:12, 11:4). With his victory over Bertrand, Ovtcharov extended his singles record to an incredible 13-0.

Meng defeats Ionescu in a five-set thriller

The second singles match was a real treat for the spectators. Fanbo Meng faced Ovidiu Ionescu and the two went head-to-head. Meng started strongly and narrowly won the first set 13:11, but Ionescu turned the match around and took the next two sets 11:8.

Meng played courageously in the fourth set and saved himself with a tight 12:10 in the deciding set. Here, the young Fulda player finally dominated with 11:6 and gave his team a 2:0 lead. “It was an important win in our last home match of the year. We really wanted to win and ultimately managed it 3:0. Mühlhausen is a really good team and actually better than their current position in the table describes. Ionescu narrowly lost to me and Mengel also lost 3:2 to Kao. It could have gone the other way. Nevertheless, we are very happy to have won,” said Meng after his victory.

Kao wins by a wafer-thin margin against Mengel

The 19-year-old Cheng-Jui Kao crowned Fulda's performance with a particularly close victory over Steffen Mengel. After trailing 1:2 in set four, Kao held his nerve at 9:9 and scored twice. The fifth set also went the full distance and this time also ended better for the Fulda player, giving his team a 3:0 overall victory over Mühlhausen.

While Fulda has now consolidated its position at the top of the table with 14:4 points, Post SV Mühlhausen has slipped deeper into the relegation battle with just 4:14 points.
With this victory, Fulda sent a clear signal to the competition: the play-offs are firmly in their sights.

Der 09. Spieltag in der Übersicht

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – Post SV Mühlhausen 3:0
Dimitrij Ovtcharov –  Irvin Bertrand 3:0 (11:8, 14:12, 11:4)
Fanbo Meng – Ovidiu Ionescu 3:2 (13:11, 8:11, 8:11, 12:10, 11:6)
Cheng-Jui Kao – Steffen Mengel 3:2 (13:15, 11:7, 1:11, 11:9, 12:10)

1. FC Saarbrücken-TT – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 1:3
Darko Jorgic – Simon Gauzy 3:1 (11:8, 11:9, 9:11, 11:8)
Yuto Muramatsu – Shunsuke Togami 0:3 (2:11, 12:14, 9:11)
Patrick Franziska – Hugo Calderano 0:3 (6:11, 8:11, 7:11)
Darko Jorgic – Shunsuke Togami 2:3 (11:9, 11:6, 9:11, 7:11, 9:11)

TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – Borussia Dortmund 1:3
Luka Mladenovic – Cedric Nuytinck 1:3 (13:11, 8:11, 10:12, 9:11)
Feng Yi-Hsin – Li Yongyin 3:1 (12:10, 13:15, 11:8, 11:4)
Maciej Kubik – Anders Lind 0:3 (8:11, 6:11, 11:13)
Luka Mladenovic – Li Yongyin 0:3 (7:11, 3:11, 9:11)

SV Werder Bremen – TSV Bad Königshofen

TTC OE Bad Homburg – ASC Grünwettersbach

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – Borussia Düsseldorf

Featured image above: Cheng-Jui Kao from TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell (Photo: TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell)

All TTBL matches will be broadcast live and exclusively on Dyn.