Bundesliga

After two consecutive defeats, record champions Borussia Düsseldorf bounced back on Matchday 4 of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL). Just like in Saturday’s Cup round of 16, the Rhineland side fielded their strongest line-up against TSV Bad Königshofen and came away with a 3–1 victory. The Franconians remain bottom of the table as the only team still without a point.

On Saturday, Düsseldorf had swept the tie 3–0, but Sunday afternoon proved a tougher challenge. Both opening matches went the full distance, with each team securing one point: Kanak Jha prevailed against Filip Zeljko, while veteran Bastian Steger took revenge for his loss the previous day. “I played better than yesterday,” the 44-year-old said afterwards on Dyn. In both the fourth and fifth games he squandered a 10–7 lead, but ultimately held his nerve to clinch the win. “Sometimes you just need a few more chances. As long as it works out in the end, that’s fine,” he added with a sweaty smile.

Qiu and Källberg make the difference

After the break, Dang Qiu put Düsseldorf ahead 2–1. The German international had been pushed to five games by Andre Bertelsmeier the day before, but this time he closed out the match in straight games. Anton Källberg then sealed the victory with a 3–1 win over Zeljko. “We’re very happy with the weekend. It’s tough to play here twice against a very strong team,” the Swede commented.

Düsseldorf still in mid-table

With two wins and two losses after four rounds, Borussia Düsseldorf sit in mid-table, currently eighth. Bad Königshofen, meanwhile, remain rooted to the bottom as the league’s only winless side. Despite the situation, Steger struck an optimistic tone: “We can build on this performance, and if we keep playing like that, we’ll start winning matches.”

Matchday 4 fixtures

TSV Bad Königshofen – Borussia Düsseldorf 1:3
Filip Zeljko – Kanak Jha 2:3 (8:11, 11:5, 9:11, 12:10, 5:11)
Bastian Steger – Anton Källberg 3:2 (12:10, 9:11, 11:7, 11:13, 12:10)
Andre Bertelsmeier – Dang Qiu 0:3 (10:12, 5:11, 8:11)
Filip Zeljko – Anton Källberg 1:3 (8.11, 11:8, 9:11, 9:11)

TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 3:1
Jo Yokotani – Martin Allegro 3:1 (11:7, 6:11, 11:5, 11:3)
Ivor Ban – Feng Yi-Hsin 1:3 (3:11, 7:11, 11:5, 4:11)
Csaba Andras – Samuel Walker 3:0 (11:0, 11:8, 14:12)
Jo Yokotani – Feng Yi-Hsin 3:1 (7:11, 11:9, 17:15, 11:7)

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – SV Werder Bremen 3:1
Shunsuke Togami – Irvin Bertrand 3:1 (11:9, 10:12, 11:4, 12:10)
Tiago Abiodun – Kirill Gerassimenko 1:3 (5:11, 3:11, 12:10, 2:11)
Iulian Chirita – Matthias Falck 3:0 (11:5, 11:4, 11:6)
Shunsuke Togami – Kirill Gerassimenko 3:1 (11:8, 9:11, 11:9, 11:8)

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – Post SV Mühlhausen 3:0
Adrien Rassenfosse – Erik Schreyer 3:0 (11:2, 11:5, 11:5)
Leo de Nodrest – Ovidiu Ionescu 3:1 (10:12, 11:8, 13:11, 11:3)
Romain Ruiz – Marcos Freitas 3:0 (11:3, 11:4, 11:6)

Sonntag, 21. September
17 Uhr: Borussia Dortmund – ASC Grünwettersbach

Montag, 22. September
19 Uhr: TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT

All Games are broadcast live on Dyn.

Picture: Anton Källberg of Borussia Düsseldorf (Photo: Jörg Fuhrmann)