Bundesliga

Hiroto Shinozuka impressed, but Fulda’s collective strength told in the end – on Matchday 6 of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell scraped to a narrow victory. Against ASC Grünwettersbach, built around the in-form Shinozuka, the tie went all the way to the deciding doubles on Sunday evening, with a happy ending for the hosts.

The visitors’ game plan was clear from the start: two wins from Shinozuka and then somehow take the doubles. Two-thirds of the plan worked; the Japanese star did his part. Before the interval he beat Fulda’s Fanbo Meng 3–1 in a fast-paced topspin duel, and a gripping five-game win over Jonathan Groth later sent the match to the deciding doubles.

“Hiroto had never beaten Jonathan Groth before,” ASC head coach Kilian Ort explained on Dyn afterwards, underlining the significance of his No. 1’s win over the Dane. Shinozuka “played well” and had “only returned from London yesterday.” Now 4–2 in singles, the world doubles champion is a key pillar for Karlsruhe’s ambitions.

Grünwettersbach’s second string not strong enough

There was less success for Tobias Hippler and Damian Floro, who lost their singles and then together in the deciding doubles. A victory, Ort admitted, had been “rather unlikely,” “when you look at Fulda’s quality and we’re playing with Tobias Hippler and Damian Floro — two lads who are actually registered with the second team,” the new coach summed up frankly.

Hippler opened against Groth (1–3), while Floro failed to take a game off Ovtcharov. Hopes of a doubles win also went unfulfilled: after saving set points in the second, the balance of quality still lay with Fulda.

Fulda thus keep pace with the play-off places, but sit in the awkward fifth spot on game difference after six matchdays. Grünwettersbach follow directly in sixth, two points adrift of the pack.

Matchday 6 fixtures

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – ASC Grünwettersbach 3–2
Jonathan Groth – Tobias Hippler 3–1 (11:7, 11:7, 11:13, 11:9)
Fanbo Meng – Hiroto Shinozuka 1–3 (8:11, 10:12, 11:8, 8:11)
Dimitrij Ovtcharov – Damian Floro 3–0 (11:5, 11:9, 11:3)
Jonathan Groth – Hiroto Shinozuka 2–3 (13:11, 7:11, 13:11, 7:11, 8:11)
Ovtcharov/Meng – Hippler/Floro 3–0 (11:9, 12:10, 11:5)

TSV Bad Königshofen – SV Werder Bremen 0–3
Bastian Steger – Marcelo Aguirre 2–3 (11:7, 11:3, 8:11, 9:11, 10:12)
Daniel Habesohn – Kirill Gerassimenko 2–3 (7:11, 11:13, 11:9, 11:9, 10:12)
Andre Bertelsmeier – Mattias Falck 0–3 (10:12, 6:11, 7:11)

1. FC Saarbrücken-TT – Post SV Mühlhausen 3–0
Eduard Ionescu – Ivo Quett 3–0 (11:3, 11:7, 11:6)
Darko Jorgic – Ovidiu Ionescu 3–2 (12:10, 7:11, 11:8, 11:13, 11:7)
Patrick Franziska – Erik Schreyer 3–0 (11:3, 11:6, 11:4)

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg 3–0
Iulian Chirita – Ivor Ban 3–2 (5:11, 11:6, 11:13, 11:6, 11:4)
Andreas Levenko – Juan Perez 3–0 (11:9, 11:5, 11:8)
Tiago Abiodun – Csaba Andras 3–1 (11:9, 10:12, 12:10, 11:6)

TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – Borussia Düsseldorf 1–3
Maciej Kubik – Li Yongyin 3–2 (7:11, 9:11, 11:9, 13:11, 11:8)
Samuel Walker – Kanak Jha 1–3 (6:11, 11:9, 9:11, 10:12)
Martin Allegro – Anton Källberg 0–3 (2:11, 7:11, 5:11)
Maciej Kubik – Kanak Jha 2–3 (12:10, 10:12, 8:11, 12:10, 8:11)

Sunday, 26 October
6 p.m.: Borussia Dortmund – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt

All matches are live on Dyn.

Picture: Hiroto Shinozuka of ASC Grünwettersbach (Photo: Jörg Hirsch)