Bundesliga

The season in the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) is slowly approaching its climax. While the battle for a place in the semi-finals is heating up and Borussia Dortmund has suddenly joined the fray, the teams at the bottom of the table have recently moved closer together. The 15th match day kicks off on Thursday with the match between Post SV Mühlhausen and Borussia Düsseldorf, followed by the top match between TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen and 1. FC Saarbrücken TT, among others. All matches will be broadcast live on Dyn.

Post SV Mühlhausen – Borussia Düsseldorf

Post SV Mühlhausen and Borussia Düsseldorf are currently facing a fairly tight schedule: the two teams already met in the Champions League in mid-January, and on Thursday they will face each other again in the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), before the return match in the Champions League takes place in February. The record champions are the favorites ahead of the rematch: Not only did Borussia win the Champions League first leg 3-0, but they are also ahead in the TTBL. With 22:6 points, Düsseldorf are currently top of the table and already six points ahead of fifth-placed Ochsenhausen. However, Mühlhausen has also had a strong second half of the season so far, winning two of three matches: a 3-1 victory in Grünwettersbach was followed by a 2-3 defeat to Saarbrücken and a 3-2 win against Fulda. With 12:16 points, the Thuringians are currently seventh, leading the second half of the table.

ASC Grünwettersbach – TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg

The ASC Grünwettersbach management is unlikely to be entirely unconcerned when looking at the league table at present. The Baden-based club has been waiting for a win since mid-November, suffering six defeats in a row since then – including bitter losses against rivals in the relegation battle such as Grenzau (1-3). “Almost doomed to win,” explains the ASC on its website, the team will now face TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg on Saturday. With 8:20 points, Grünwettersbach is currently in tenth place, level on points with Bad Königshofen and Grenzau in the relegation zone. Bad Homburg is two points ahead: The Taunus team has won one game in the second half of the season so far, beating Fulda 3:1, and is now in the middle of the table with 10:18 points. The form of the two top players is likely to be decisive: Hiroto Shinozuka (Grünwettersbach) and Jo Yokotani (Bad Homburg) recently competed in the Japanese championships.

TSV Bad Königshofen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell

TSV Bad Königshofen has suddenly gained momentum in the new year: The Lower Franconians finished the first half of the season with only four points, but after three games in the second half, they have already doubled their points tally with victories in Bremen (3-1) and against Grenzau (3-2). With 8:20 points, Bad Königshofen has improved to eleventh place and is back in touch with the non-relegation places. In contrast, TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell's form curve is pointing in the other direction. Having started the season with semi-final ambitions, Dimitrij Ovtcharov's team currently finds itself in eighth place, just two points ahead of Bad Königshofen and already six behind the top four. Fulda has now gone five TTBL games without a win, most recently losing 2-3 in Mühlhausen.

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT

The top match of match day #15 will take place in the Dr. Hans Liebherr Sports Hall when TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen hosts 1. FC Saarbrücken TT on Saturday evening. The hosts will be under slightly more pressure: With 16:12 points, the reigning German champions are currently in fifth place, level with Bergneustadt (4th) and Dortmund (6th). Ochsenhausen recently suffered defeats against these two teams (both 1-3). "We have a young team and are perhaps experiencing a phase for the first time where not everything is going our way. That's part of the process – we have to get through it together," said TTF coach Bogdan Pugna recently. Saarbrücken, on the other hand, is holding its own in the top four: Although FCS has also suffered a defeat in the second half of the season, a 2:3 loss in Dortmund, it is on course in third place with 20:8 points. At the beginning of the year, Ochsenhausen and Saarbrücken already met in the cup semi-finals, with Saarbrücken, who went on to win the cup, winning 3-1.

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund is on the rise: after finding itself in the bottom third of the table at the start of the season, BVB now has legitimate hopes of reaching the semi-finals. The team has racked up five wins in a row, including victories against Saarbrücken (3-2) and Ochsenhausen (3-1). “The matches against Ochsenhausen and Bergneustadt the following week will decide whether we can still make the playoffs. If everyone stays healthy, we want to get four points,” said BVB coach Evgeny Fadeev ahead of the clash with the defending champions. With 16:12 points, Dortmund is currently level with TTF – and also with its upcoming opponent. TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt has been among the leaders since the start of the season, most recently securing victories in Ochsenhausen and against Grenzau (both 3-1).

TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – SV Werder Bremen

The doubles have become a decisive trump card for SV Werder Bremen in recent weeks: after the Hanseatic team only had to go the full distance twice in the preliminary round, the last two matches also went to the doubles. Thanks to victories against Bad Homburg and Grünwettersbach, the Hanseatic club remains among the leaders and is still on course for the semifinals. With 22:6 points, Werder is tied with leaders Düsseldorf in second place and six points ahead of fifth place. "I hope we manage to qualify. We'll try everything," said Irvin Bertrand recently, looking ahead to the TTBL Final Four, which is being held for the first time. TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau, on the other hand, finds itself at the other end of the table: after three defeats in the second half of the season, including a recent 1:3 loss in Bergneustadt, Grenzau is bottom of the league. With 8:20 points, the Westerwald team is level with Bad Königshofen (11th) and Grünwettersbach (10th), so a win could see them leave the relegation zone if their rivals play along.

Match day #15 at a glance

Thursday, January 29
7 p.m.: Post SV Mühlhausen – Borussia Düsseldorf

Saturday, January 31
3 p.m.: ASC Grünwettersbach – TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg
5:30 p.m.: TSV Bad Königshofen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell
7 p.m.: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT

Sunday, February 1
5 p.m.: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – Borussia Dortmund

Sunday, February 8
3 p.m.: TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – SV Werder Bremen

All matches will be broadcast live on Dyn.

Header photo: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen's Andreas Levenko (by Nicolai Schaal)