Bundesliga

Third match, third win for TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen: The five-time German champion secured a 3-1 victory over TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau on Tuesday and remains undefeated in the new Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) season. Shortly afterward, TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt earned its first points with a 3-2 victory over TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell. All four teams will be back in action this weekend at the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening.

At least for one night, TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen sits atop the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) standings: The Upper Swabian team kicked off Matchday 3 with a 3-1 victory over TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau, boosting their point total to 6-0 and leaving the competition behind for now. Borussia Düsseldorf, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT, and SV Werder Bremen—all of whom remain undefeated with 4-0 records—will each take the court on Wednesday and have the chance to overtake Ochsenhausen.

Against Grenzau, the TTF demonstrated that they can compensate for the absence of their top player. After already securing four singles victories this season, Shunsuke Togami suffered his first loss on Tuesday. The Japanese player was locked in a back-and-forth match with Maciej Kubik; in the deciding set, Togami earned the first match point—but Kubik fended it off, secured the next two points, and ultimately celebrated a 3–2 victory to give Grenzau the lead.

“A Great Start”: Darius Movileanu Celebrates Debut Victory

Ochsenhausen was by no means shaken by this, however; on the contrary, the hosts seemed even more motivated. With three commanding victories in the remaining singles matches, the TTF secured the team win. Darius Movileanu made an impressive TTBL debut, winning 3-0 against Samuel Walker; Iulian Chirita gave Martin Allegro hardly a chance in their 3-1 match; and Tiago Abiodun, who came in as a substitute for Togami, finally sealed the deal with a 3-0 victory over Walker.

“It was, of course, a great start for me,” Movileanu said afterward on Dyn. “Many thanks to the fans for their support—I’d like to build on this performance in the next few matches.” Kubik, from Grenzau, said after returning to his former club: “It’s nice to be back here. I’m naturally happy about my singles victory—but unfortunately, it didn’t work out for us as a team today.”

Bergneustadt Defeats Fulda in doubles

Shortly afterward, there was cause for celebration at TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt as well: Last year’s semifinalist defeated TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 3–2, earning its first points of the season. Bergneustadt had previously lost in Ochsenhausen (2–3) and against Dortmund (1–3). Fulda, on the other hand, remains without any points. For the team from eastern Hesse, it was their third consecutive 2–3 loss—they had already been defeated in the doubles matches in Bremen and against Bad Homburg.

“It came down to the wire again in the doubles,” said Bergneustadt’s Cedric Meissner, “and in the end, we won with a lot of grit. But ultimately, the only thing that matters is that we’ve finally broken the ice.”

Fulda Makes a Comeback After the Break

Playing without Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Jonathan Groth, Fulda was clearly on the back foot early on. Before the break, the hosts won every set: Benedikt Duda defeated Andrei Istrate 3-0, and Cedric Meissner achieved the same result against Fanbo Meng. A decisive victory for Bergneustadt seemed imminent.

After the break, however, the visitors made an impressive comeback. Ruwen Filus narrowed the gap to 1–2 with a 3–1 win over Adrien Rassenfosse, before Meng dominated the top singles match. The Fulda player’s 3–2 victory over Duda in the clash between the two German national team players sent the match into the doubles. And there, Bergneustadt was once again in control: Meissner and Rassenfosse largely had the match under control, earned three match points in the fourth set, and converted the first to win 3–1. “It’s been a difficult start to the season,” said Filus. “But that’s the nature of the sport—we’ll now do everything we can to finally secure a victory.”

Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening This Weekend

The Table Tennis Bundesliga continues tomorrow, Wednesday, August 26, with four matches. Among other matches, record champion Borussia Düsseldorf will face last year’s runner-up, SV Werder Bremen (6:30 p.m.), and reigning German champion 1. FC Saarbrücken TT will take on TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg (7:15 p.m.). These and all other TTBL matches will be broadcast live on Dyn.

Next up is the first major highlight of the season: This coming weekend, August 29 and 30, the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening will take place for the first time. In this new event format at the Kia Metropol Arena in Nuremberg, the twelve TTBL teams and four qualifiers from the 2nd and 3rd Bundesliga will face off in the round of 16 and quarterfinals of the German Table Tennis Cup—twelve matches over two days, all in one place. The Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening will also be broadcast live on Dyn. Anyone who wants to cheer on the teams in person can purchase tickets at the official TTBL ticket shop.

Match day #3 at a glance

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 3:1
Shunsuke Togami – Maciej Kubik 2:3 (5:11, 11:7, 11:8, 8:11, 10:12)
Darius Movileanu – Samuel Walker 3:0 (11:3, 11:4, 11:2)
Iulian Chirita – Martin Allegro 3:1 (11:5, 9:11, 11:5, 11:5)
Tiago Abiodun – Samuel Walker 3:0 (11:8, 16:14, 11:4)

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda Maberzell 3:2
Benedikt Duda – Andrei Istrate 3:0 (11:4, 11:0, 12:10)
Cedric Meissner – Fanbo Meng 3:0 (12:10, 11:9, 11:8)
Adrien Rassenfosse – Ruwen Filus 1:3 (11:13, 7:11, 11:4, 10:12)
Benedikt Duda – Fanbo Meng 2:3 (10:12, 11:5, 10:12, 11:6, 11:13)
Cedric Meissner/Adrien Rassenfosse – Andrei Istrate/Ruwen Filus 3:1 (11:5, 3:11, 11:6, 11:7)

Wednesday, August 26
6.30 pm: SV Werder Bremen – Borussia Düsseldorf
6.45 pm: Borussia Dortmund – ASC Grünwettersbach
7 pm: Post SV Mühlhausen – TSV Bad Königshofen
7.15 pm: TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT

Header photo: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen's Iulian Chirita (by Vinzenz Bendel)