Bundesliga

1.FC Saarbrücken TT also won the return match against TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau by a clear margin. Just under three months after the 3-0 victory in the first leg of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), the FCS won 3-1 in Tuesday's rematch. This means that the cup winners are still on course for the Liebherr TTBL Final4.

Only a few points separate 1. FC Saarbrücken TT from participating in the Liebherr TTBL Final4. Thanks to their 3:1 victory over TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau on the 16th match day of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), FCS now has 24:8 points to its name and is currently third in the table, eight points ahead of fifth-placed TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen. The reigning champions will face SV Werder Bremen tomorrow, Wednesday, February 11. “The victory is obviously good for us and helps us on our way to the playoffs,” said Cedric Meissner afterwards at Dyn.

The long-awaited second German championship after 2020 remains within reach for Saarbrücken. After winning the cup in January, FCS is also aiming for another Champions League title. The 3-1 win against Grenzau was the FCS's seventh victory in its last eight TTBL matches. Grenzau, on the other hand, suffered another defeat two days after losing 0-3 to Bremen, its fifth in a row, and remains without a win in 2026. With 8-24 points, the TTC remains at the bottom of the TTBL table.

“We played without pressure”: Allegro scores for Grenzau

After not playing in the first leg, the Olympic champion was back in the squad for the return match – and once again made the difference. Fan gave FCS the lead with a 3-1 win over Maciej Kubik in the first singles match. Around two hours later, he also beat Patrick Baum 3-1, securing his team's ultimately commanding victory. Patrick Franziska also won 3-1 against Samuel Walker to make it 2-0. Martin Allegro scored the only point for the visitors with a 3-1 win over Cedric Meissner.

"We played without pressure because we didn't have a full squad. That's why we wanted to do our best,“ Allegro said afterwards on the Dyn microphone. On Tuesday, Grenzau had to do without Feng Yi-Hsin and Luka Mladenovic, who are competing in the WTT Star Contender Chennai. ”Of course, I'm happy about my victory,“ Allegro added, ”but despite the defeat, we can be satisfied with our performance overall."

Match day #16 at a glance

Borussia Düsseldorf – ASC Grünwettersbach 3:2
Kanak Jha – Hiroto Shinozuka 1:3 (6:11, 11:9, 6:11, 6:11)
Li Yongyin – Tiago Apolonia 2:3 (4:11, 9:11, 11:5, 11:4, 8:11)
Anton Källberg – Tom Jarvis 3:0 (11:6, 11:4, 11:9)
Kanak Jha – Tiago Apolonia 3:0 (11:8, 11:9, 11:7)
Anton Källberg/Li Yongyin – Ricardo Walther/Hiroto Shinozuka 3:1 (11:7, 8:11, 11:9, 12:10)

1. FC Saarbrücken TT – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 3:1
Fan Zhendong – Maciej Kubik 3:1 (11:7, 7:11, 11:8, 11:9)
Patrick Franziska – Samuel Walker 3:1 (11:7, 7:11, 11:8, 11:9)
Cedric Meissner – Martin Allegro 1:3 (8:11, 8:11, 11:4, 5:11)
Fan Zhendong – Patrick Baum 3:1 (11:6, 5:11, 11:5, 11:6)

TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg – Post SV Mühlhausen 2:3
Jo Yokotani – Ovidiu Ionescu 2:3 (14:12, 14:12, 10:12, 6:11, 2:11)
Ivor Ban – Kay Stumper 3:11 (11:5, 2:11, 11:4, 11:1)
Csaba Andras – Marcos Freitas 3:1 (10 :12, 11:9, 11:6, 11:8)
Juan Perez – Kay Stumper 0:3 (2:11, 8:11, 8:11)
Ivor Ban/Csaba Andras – Ovidiu Ionescu/Marcos Freitas 0:3 (11:13, 7:11, 8:11)

Borussia Dortmund – TSV Bad Königshofen 1:3
Anders Lind – Bastian Steger 3:1 (7:11, 11:8, 11:7, 11:9)
Adam Szudi – Xue Fei 1:3 (11:6, 5:11, 5:11, 5:11)
Kristian Karlsson – Andre Bertelsmeier 1:3 (7:11, 11:8, 8:11, 10:12)
Anders Lind – Xue Fei 0:3 (7:11, 7:11, 7:11)

Wednesday, February 11
6.30pm: SV Werder Bremen – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen
7pm: TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt

Header photo: 1. FC Saarbrücken TT's Patrick Franziska (by BeLa Sportfoto)