Bundesliga

At the start of Matchday 5 in the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), record champion Borussia Düsseldorf took a small measure of revenge for last season’s TTBL final defeat, beating defending champions TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 3–1. Without top player Shunsuke Togami, the TTF remain without a single point this season, while the team from the Rhine region move their record back into positive territory.

The omens for the visitors from Ochsenhausen were not good. In addition to Togami, the in-form young Romanian Iulian Chirita was also missing, leaving the team without a single player who had won a match this season. Only Andreas Levenko managed to change that on Sunday afternoon. Düsseldorf, meanwhile, were also without their top man: Dang Qiu missed out due to shoulder problems.

Levenko Rewards Himself for a Tremendous Fight

The opening point of the tie went to the title holders – and it came in dramatic fashion. Levenko faced Kanak Jha and displayed remarkable composure under pressure. In the fourth game, the Austrian saved seven match points to force a decider with a 17–15 win. The American appeared in control in the final game, but Levenko — fighting with great emotion — overturned a 4–8 deficit, reeling off seven straight points to seal the match.
“I built the house brick by brick,” Levenko said afterwards to Dyn, referring to his comeback. “I could tell Kanak was nervous — that gave me a push.”

Expectations were accordingly high for Düsseldorf’s next newcomer at the table. Li Yongyin, who joined from Borussia Dortmund, had yet to record a TTBL win, while his opponent Tiago Abiodun had just claimed his first-ever victory at this level in the cup. After appearing nervous in the opening game, Li settled in and went on to win convincingly in four games.

Källberg Turns the Match in Düsseldorf’s Favor

The role of the most established home player fell to Anton Källberg, who left nothing to chance in the key duel after the break against Leonardo Iizuka. The Swede’s 3–0 victory gave the record champions the lead. Jha then sealed the deal with a 3–1 win over Abiodun, avoiding a repeat of the Grünwettersbach disaster, where he had to shake hands with his opponent twice in defeat.

The team from the Rhine climbed, at least for now, into the upper half of the table, having collected three wins from five matches. Ochsenhausen, meanwhile, sit one defeat worse off: the title holders have yet to win in three matches without Togami, but remain unbeaten when the Japanese star is in the lineup.
“Normally, we’re always at full strength,” said Levenko, looking ahead optimistically to the next fixtures — a sign of hope for better results to come.

Matchday 5 Fixtures

Borussia Düsseldorf – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 3:1
Kanak Jha – Andreas Levenko 2:3 (11:6, 9:11, 11:6, 15:17, 8:11)
Li Yongyin – Tiago Abiodun 3:1 (9:11, 11:5, 11:6, 11:5)
Anton Källberg – Leonardo Iizuka 3:0 (11:5, 11:9, 11:7)
Kanak Jha – Tiago Abiodun 3:1 (9:11, 11:8, 11:8, 11:5)

Sunday, October 5
3:30 p.m.: ASC Grünwettersbach – TSV Bad Königshofen
5:00 p.m.: SV Werder Bremen – 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT

Monday, October 6
6:30 p.m.: Post SV Mühlhausen – Borussia Dortmund
7:00 p.m.: TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell

Tuesday, October 7
7:00 p.m.: TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt

All matches will be streamed live on Dyn.

Picture: Li Yongyin of Borussia Düsseldorf (Photo: Borussia Düsseldorf)