Bundesliga

Defending champions 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT continued their strong start on Matchday 2 of the TTBL. Although the Saarland side had to make do without new signing Hugo Calderano against Post SV Mühlhausen, FCS — led by Patrick Franziska — comfortably won their first home match of the season 3–1. In the Baden-Württemberg derby, meanwhile, TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen beat ASC Grünwettersbach 3–1, helped by the outstanding early-season form of Shunsuke Togami.

It was supposed to be the debut of the new star brought in to help make up for the painful departures of Fan Zhendong, Darko Jorgic and Co. But Hugo Calderano will have to wait a little longer for his TTBL return. The Brazilian was ruled out at short notice through illness for Saarbrücken’s first home match of the season. Instead, it was established star Patrick Franziska who led his club to a perfect start with two wins.

Franziska opened the night against Mühlhausen youngster Ivo Quett, who made only his second TTBL appearance on Friday — once again against Saarbrücken. “I was very nervous. The first time was even worse,” the 16-year-old admitted to Dyn. “It was already a little better.” After losing the opening set 1–11, the Post SV youngster gradually settled into the match, but a first set win against the Germany international was still beyond him.

Ionescu takes Saarbrücken’s first point of the season

Albert Vilardell made his debut for Saarbrücken in the second singles. The Spaniard played for 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the 2. Bundesliga last season, where he impressed with a 19–9 record. Against the experienced Ovidiu Ionescu, however, he was unable to win a set on his first appearance in Germany’s top division. After the clean 3–0 victory over BVB on the opening matchday, it was the first individual point FCS had dropped this season.

After the break, however, the reigning treble winners were back on track. Álvaro Robles — drafted into the line-up at short notice — beat Yeh Yi-En in straight sets. “It was complicated,” Robles said afterwards. “I wasn’t completely prepared to play, but I felt good this morning.” Franziska then avenged Vilardell’s defeat, sealing the decisive third point with a 3–1 win over Ionescu.

Togami the matchwinner in the derby

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen can continue to rely on star man Shunsuke Togami in the 2026/27 season. The Japanese player has picked up exactly where he left off in his role as the team’s leading performer, contributing four points to Ochsenhausen’s first two victories. Tiago Apolónia, however, made life anything but easy for Togami on Friday night. The ASC player fought back from 0–2 down to force a deciding set, only to lose it 7–11. His defeat levelled the overall match before the break after Tom Jarvis had produced a spectacular opening win to put the hosts ahead.

Against Tiago Abiodun, the Englishman overturned a 6–10 deficit in the second set while trailing 0–1 and used the momentum to win the match. “I don’t really know,” Jarvis replied when asked what he had changed. “I was having problems with the return and tried something. After winning that set, I was more relaxed and was able to win the match.” Against Togami later in the evening, however, Jarvis had no answer. The TTF star dominated the final singles 3–0 to secure the derby victory and both points for Ochsenhausen.

Walther and Chirita battle through five-set thriller

The match of the evening came after the break in Karlsruhe. With the overall score at 1–1, Ricardo Walther and Iulian Chirita met in a pivotal singles encounter. Neither gave an inch, with four of the five sets going right to the wire and the pair repeatedly producing spectacular rallies. Walther frequently forced the young Romanian onto the defensive, but Chirita kept finding a way back into the points. At match point, Walther eventually missed what appeared to be a relatively straightforward flip, sealing his defeat. Chirita roared out his relief — his shout echoing around the suddenly silent ASC Arena.

Saarbrücken and Ochsenhausen set the early pace

Saarbrücken and Ochsenhausen have therefore made perfect starts to the season, taking all four points available from their opening two matches. The pair temporarily lead the standings, with their rivals only able to respond over the coming days. Grünwettersbach remain on track following their important 3–2 opening victory at TSV Bad Königshofen, while Post SV Mühlhausen have begun the campaign with two defeats.

Matchday 2 fixtures

1. FC Saarbrücken-TT – Post SV Mühlhausen 3–1
Patrick Franziska – Ivo Quett 3–0 (11–1, 11–4, 11–8)
Albert Vilardell – Ovidiu Ionescu 0–3 (1–11, 10–12, 11–13)
Álvaro Robles – Yeh Yi-En 3–0 (11–6, 11–9, 11–9)
Patrick Franziska – Ovidiu Ionescu 3–1 (11–4, 7–11, 11–7, 11–8)

ASC Grünwettersbach – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 1–3
Tom Jarvis – Tiago Abiodun 3–1 (7–11, 14–12, 11–7, 11–8)
Tiago Apolónia – Shunsuke Togami 2–3 (6–11, 11–13, 11–7, 11–5, 7–11)
Ricardo Walther – Iulian Chirita 2–3 (11–9, 9–11, 13–11, 7–11, 14–16)
Tom Jarvis – Shunsuke Togami 0–3 (1–11, 12–14, 10–12)

Saturday, 22 August:
19:00: TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg
20:00: Borussia Düsseldorf – TSV Bad Königshofen

Sunday, 23 August:
14:00: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – Borussia Dortmund
17:00: TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – SV Werder Bremen

All matches are streamed live on Dyn.

The current Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) standings can be found here.

Picture: Patrick Franziska of 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT (photo: BeLa Sportfoto).