Bundesliga

SV Werder Bremen remains on track for success. On Matchday 18 of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), the Hanseatic side defeated Post SV Mühlhausen 3-1, taking another step toward the playoffs. In front of a home crowd, Kirill Gerassimenko in particular laid the foundation for the Green-Whites’ success and simultaneously ensured that Werder secured qualification for the Liebherr TTBL Final4 ahead of schedule.

TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau also made a statement in an early match of Matchday 20: With a 3-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund, the hosts earned crucial points and created a cushion in the relegation battle. For Dortmund, the loss represents a setback in the race for playoff spots.

Gerassimenko Gives Bremen the Lead

The match got off to a perfect start for Werder. Kirill Gerassimenko gave Cheng-Ting Liao hardly a chance and dominated his singles match with ease in three sets (11-4, 11-6, 11-2). This put Bremen in the lead early on and ensured a perfect start in front of the home crowd.

Ionescu Levels the Score for Mühlhausen

Immediately afterward, Bremen had to concede the equalizer. Mattias Falck faced Ovidiu Ionescu and quickly fell behind by two sets. Although the Swede fought his way back by winning the third set, Ionescu sealed the deal in the fourth. With his 3-1 victory, the Romanian tied the match at 1-1 for the visitors.

After the break, Irvin Bertrand stepped up. An intense duel developed against Kay Stumper, with both players repeatedly producing strong rallies. However, Bertrand had the better answers in the decisive moments. After four sets, a 3-1 victory for the Frenchman was on the scoreboard—and Werder was back in the lead.

Bremen Secures Spot in Liebherr TTBL Final4

The match was ultimately decided in Kirill Gerassimenko’s second singles match. His clash with Ovidiu Ionescu was a hard-fought contest, with the fourth set in particular remaining in the balance for a long time. With the score tied at 10-10, however, the Bremen player kept his cool and converted his third match point shortly afterward to win 12-10. With his second singles victory of the evening, Gerassimenko sealed the 3-1 overall win.

Bremen’s coach Cristian Tamas offered a satisfied assessment after the match: “It’s great that we’ve secured our spot in the top four so early.”

Feng lays the foundation for Grenzau’s victory

Yi-Hsin Feng opened the early match against Borussia Dortmund with a 3-1 victory over Alberto Mino (7-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-4). After a close first set, Feng stepped up his game, winning the next three sets convincingly and putting Grenzau in the lead early on.

Immediately afterward, Grenzau’s Maciej Kubik faced Dortmund’s Kristian Karlsson. Kubik put in a strong performance, especially early in the match, taking the second set and squandering two set points in the first set. Ultimately, however, he fell to Karlsson 1-3 (10-12, 11-6, 3-11, 7-11).

Mladenovic Wins Thrilling Five-Set Match

The third singles match proved to be the decisive one: Luka Mladenovic prevailed over Cedric Nuytinck in a gripping five-set match (11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 9-11, 11-7). After taking a 2-0 lead, Nuytinck tied the match at 2-2, but Mladenovic maintained the upper hand in the deciding set. A fitting finale for the crowd favorite: He is leaving Grenzau at the end of this season—and was able to lead the team to victory one last time with this crucial win.

Yi-Hsin Feng gives Grenzau something to cheer about

Yi-Hsin Feng once again sealed the deal, triumphing in a thrilling five-set thriller against Kristian Karlsson to secure the 3-1 victory for Grenzau.

With this victory, TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau earns crucial points in the battle to avoid relegation and creates some breathing room from the direct relegation spots. Borussia Dortmund must give it their all in the remaining matches to keep their playoff hopes alive. For Werder Bremen, playoff qualification is now officially secured, while Mühlhausen remains in the middle of the standings.

Matchday 18 at a glance

SV Werder Bremen – Post SV Mühlhausen 3:1
Kirill Gerassimenko – Cheng-Ting Liao 3:0 (11:4, 11:6, 11:2)
Mattias Falck – Ovidiu Ionescu 1:3 (5:11, 9:11, 11:9, 9:11)
Irvin Bertrand – Kay Stumper 3:1 (11:5, 6:11, 11:5, 11:9)
Kirill Gerassimenko –  Ovidiu Ionescu 3:1 (11:5, 5:11, 11:9, 12:10)

1. FC Saarbrücken TT – ASC Grünwettersbach 3:1
Eduard Ionescu – Tobias Hippler 3:1 (5:11, 11:4, 11:9, 11:3)
Fan Zhendong – Ricardo Walther 3:1 (11:5, 11:5, 7:11, 11:5)
Darko Jorgic – Tom Jarvis 1:3 (9:11, 11:6, 5:11, 4:11)
Eduard Ionescu – Ricardo Walther 3:2 (11:8, 13:15, 9:11, 11:8, 11:7)

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 1:3
Iulian Chirita – Fanbo Meng 3:0 (13:11, 11:2, 12:10)
Leonardo Iizuka – Ruwen Filus 0:3 (7:11, 12:14, 7:11)
Andreas Levenko – Jonathan Groth 1:3 (4:11, 12:14, 11:4, 7:11)
Iulian Chirita – Ruwen Filus 2:3 (9:11, 11:5, 11:6, 9:11, 9:11)

TSV Bad Königshofen – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt 0:3
Xue Fei – Romain Ruiz 0:3 (7:11, 8:11, 9:11)
Andre Bertelsmeier – Benedikt Duda 0:3 (5:11, 13:15, 7:11)
Bastian Steger – Leo de Nodrest 0:3 (7:11, 5:11, 10:12)

Tuesday, March 17
19 Uhr: Borussia Dortmund – Borussia Düsseldorf

Wednesday, March 18
19 Uhr: TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg 

Matchday 20 at a glance

TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – Borussia Dortmund 3:1
Yi-Hsin Feng – Alberto Mino 3:1 (7:11, 11:4, 11:9, 11:4)
Maciej Kubik – Kristian Karlsson 1:3 (10:12, 11:6, 3:11, 7:11)
Luka Mladenovic – Cedric Nuytinck 3:2 (11:8, 11:9, 9:11, 9:11, 11:7)
Yi-Hsin Feng – Kristian Karlsson 3:2 (11:13, 8:11, 11:9, 12:10, 11:5)

Friday, March 27
1. FC Saarbrücken TT – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell
SV Werder Bremen – Borussia Düsseldorf
TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad 

Saturday, March 28
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – Post SV Mühlhausen

Sunday, March 29
TSV Bad Königshofen – ASC Grünwettersbach

All matches will be broadcast live on Dyn.

You can find the current standings for the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) here.

Featured image: Mattias Falck of SV Werder Bremen (Photo: Patrick Wichmann).