Bundesliga

Borussia Dortmund took another major step towards the play-offs in their second TTBL season with a 3:1 win over TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen in the Matchday 14 headline clash. The victory over a direct rival leaves BVB level on points with the defending champions, who have recently looked less stable without leading man Shunsuke Togami. For Ochsenhausen, it was a second straight defeat against a fellow play-off chaser.

A few weeks ago, it still sounded like a bold call when German table tennis icon Timo Boll backed Dortmund as play-off material. Fourteen matchdays in, BVB are now level on points with the play-off places and rank among the league’s form sides. “Unbelievably good,” Kristian Karlsson said to Dyn after Saturday’s 3:1 win. “We beat one of our play-off rivals.” Both teams now sit on 16:12 points, with Ochsenhausen retaining fourth place, the final play-off spot, thanks to a slightly better match record.

As in every match in 2026 so far, Ochsenhausen again lined up without top player Shunsuke Togami. That was no guarantee for Dortmund, though. The “good, young team”, as Karlsson described them, have produced strong performances without the Japanese throughout the season. But after a setback in the key clash with TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt, the loss in Dortmund marked a second consecutive defeat against a direct competitor.

Chirita below his best

Often, it has been Iulian Chirita who has stepped up as Ochsenhausen’s point guarantee in Togami’s absence. On Saturday, however, the Romanian struggled to find his level. After Tiago Abiodun’s surprise 3:1 opening win over Anders Lind, Chirita went in as favourite against Adam Szudi with the chance to put the TTF in a commanding position. Instead, the Hungarian looked the steadier player throughout, visibly frustrated Chirita and claimed a deserved four-set victory. “Adam was there for us again, he’s played unbelievably well in the last five matches,” Karlsson praised his team-mate. “You have to be proud of him.”

Karlsson then added Dortmund’s next point with a routine 3:0 win over Leonardo Iizuka. After the break, Lind sealed the result in the battle of the No. 1s, beating Chirita 3:1. Dortmund’s next matchday brings another key test away at TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt. “Bergneustadt are also a play-off candidate. It’ll be a difficult match for us,” Karlsson said. Ochsenhausen, meanwhile, face title contenders 1. FC Saarbrucken-TT.

Matchday 14 fixtures

Borussia Dortmund – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 3:1
Anders Lind – Tiago Abiodun 1:3 (11:3, 6:11, 8:11, 12:14)
Adam Szudi – Iulian Chirita 3:1 (12:10, 11:7, 8:11, 11:5)
Kristian Karlsson – Leonardo Iizuka 3:0 (11:5, 11:4, 11:5)
Anders Lind – Iulian Chirita 3:1 (11:5, 5:11, 11:8, 11:8)

1. FC Saarbrucken-TT – TSV Bad Konigshofen 3:1
Eduard Ionescu – Hermann Muhlbach 3:2 (6:11, 12:14, 11:9, 11:4, 11:7)
Cedric Meissner – Filip Zeljko 3:2 (6:11, 14:12, 6:11, 11:8, 11:0)
Lichen Wang – Bastian Steger 2:3 (10:12, 11:7, 13:11, 8:11, 7:11)
Eduard Ionescu – Filip Zeljko 3:1 (11:6, 6:11, 11:9, 11:7)

Post SV Muhlhausen – TTC RhonSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 3:2
Steffen Mengel – Fanbo Meng 3:1 (13:11, 8:11, 11:8, 12:10)
Ovidiu Ionescu – Dimitrij Ovtcharov 2:3 (11:9, 8:11, 11:7, 6:11, 13:15)
Liao Cheng-Ting – Ruwen Filus 2:3 (12:10, 13:11, 9:11, 10:12, 7:11)
Steffen Mengel – Dimitrij Ovtcharov 3:0 (11:9, 11:8, 11:7)
Liao/Ionescu – Meng/Meng 3:1 (9:11, 12:10, 11:9, 11:7)

Sunday, 25 January:
14:00: SV Werder Bremen – ASC Grunwettersbach
15:30: Borussia Dusseldorf – TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg
17:00: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – TTC Zugbrucke Grenzau

All matches are streamed live on Dyn.

Picture: Adam Szudi of Borussia Dortmund (Photo: Ulrich Höfer)