Pokal

The premiere of the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening on Saturday delivered on the tournament’s promise: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen knocked Borussia Düsseldorf—including Olympic champion Fan Zhendong—out of the competition. On Sunday, starting at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Kia Metropol Arena in Nuremberg, the four spots for the Liebherr Cup Final4 will be up for grabs. The entire event will be broadcast live on Dyn.

“The best don’t always come out on top as a matter of course,” Dang Qiu had predicted ahead of the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening. And the German national team player felt the truth of that statement painfully on Saturday against Borussia Düsseldorf. The record champion, which entered the competition with Fan Zhendong as its most prominent new signing of the season, was eliminated in the round of 16 of the German Table Tennis Cup—and must now plan for a third consecutive year without reaching the cup semifinals.

The Morning: Togami’s Upset and a Third-Division Team in the Quarterfinals

The top match was decided in a game that had the crowd on the edge of their seats. Shunsuke Togami was already leading Fan Zhendong 2-0 in sets, but the Olympic champion fought his way back and forced a fifth set, which went into overtime—where the Japanese player struck and sealed TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen’s 3-1 victory with a 3-2 win. Earlier, Togami had already defeated Anton Källberg in straight sets; Iulian Chirita also made a statement with his 3-2 victory over Dang Qiu.

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell secured the first victory of the day. In their 3-1 win over SV Union Velbert, homegrown player Fanbo Meng emerged as the match winner with 3-0 victories over Yoan Velichkov and Borgar Haug. The other two round-of-16 matches that morning went all the way to the doubles. SV Werder Bremen prevailed 3-2 over TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt, with Mattias Karlsson scoring first in singles and then, alongside Irvin Bertrand, in doubles as well. One table over, SV Union Velbert II kept their composure: Karl Walter and Noah Hersel clinched the 3–2 victory over ASC Grünwettersbach II in doubles, leading the third-division team into the quarterfinals.

The Afternoon: Four 3-0 Wins

In the afternoon session, however, the matches were one-sided. Defending champion 1. FC Saarbrücken TT lived up to its role as favorite in what was perhaps the most lopsided matchup in recent cup history, winning 3-0 against third-division club TTC immoXone Bietigheim-Bissingen. Alvaro Robles and Hugo Calderano didn’t concede a single set to their opponents, and Eduard Ionescu sealed the victory.

Post SV Mühlhausen handled its task just as confidently: a 3-0 win in the all-TTBL matchup against ASC Grünwettersbach, with victories by Kay Stumper, Marcos Freitas, and Ovidiu Ionescu—all without dropping a set. TSV Bad Königshofen also prevailed 3–0. Andre Bertelsmeier, Filip Zeljko, and Bastian Steger eliminated TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg, which had advanced to the cup semifinals in each of the past two seasons. Borussia Dortmund kept alive its chance to reach the semifinals for the first time in club history with a 3-0 victory over TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau. Joao Geraldo, Anders Lind, and Kristian Karlsson secured their spot in the semifinals after nearly six hours of table tennis action at the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening.

Sunday: Four Matches, Four Final4 Tickets

The action continues with the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening as early as Sunday. Starting at 11 a.m., the defending champion takes the court once again: 1. FC Saarbrücken TT faces Post SV Mühlhausen and aims to secure its sixth consecutive appearance in the Liebherr Cup Final4. In the other match, TSV Bad Königshofen will face Borussia Dortmund. “If we play to our full potential, I think it’s very possible that we’ll make it to the Final4,” Wim Verdonschot had said ahead of the weekend. The path to the Final4 is just one match away.

Starting at 3:00 p.m., the final two participants in the Liebherr Cup Final4 will be determined. TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen, which defeated Düsseldorf, will then face last year’s finalist, TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell. At the same time, SV Union Velbert II will take on SV Werder Bremen. All matches of the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening will be broadcast live on Dyn.

Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening at a glance

Quarterfinals

Sunday, August 3o
11 a.m.:
1. FC Saarbrücken TT – Post SV Mühlhausen
TSV Bad Königshofen – Borussia Dortmund

3 p.m.:
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell
SV Union Velbert II – SV Werder Bremen

Round of 16

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – Borussia Düsseldorf 3:1
Shunsuke Togami – Anton Källberg 3:0 (11:8, 11:8, 11:6)
Darius Movileanu – Fan Zhendong 1:3 (4:11, 13:11, 8:11, 2:11)
Iulian Chirita – Dang Qiu 3:2 (13:11, 11:13, 11:9, 8:11, 11:8)
Shunsuke Togami – Fan Zhendong 3:2 (11:4, 11:8, 8:11, 9:11, 13:11)

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – SV Union Velbert 3:1
Fanbo Meng – Yoan Velichkov 3:0 (13:11, 12:10, 11:3)
Jonathan Groth – Borgar Haug 3:0 (11:6, 11:8, 11:9)
Dimitrij Ovtcharov – Rogelio Castro 2:3 (9:11, 11:1, 11:7, 7:11, 6:11)
Fanbo Meng – Borgar Haug 3:0 (11:8, 12:10, 11:6)

SV Union Velbert II – ASC Grünwettersbach II 3:2
Anton Limonov – Adrian Gossow 3:0 (11:7, 11:6, 11:9)
Karl Walter – Florian Bluhm 1:3 (11:7, 6:11, 6:11, 4:11)
Timotius Köchling – Damian Floro 3:2 (11:9, 11:8, 9:11, 7:11, 13:11)
Anton Limonov – Florian Bluhm 1:3 (10:12, 5:11, 11:9, 8:11)
Karl Walter/Noah Hersel – Damian Floro/Adrian Gossow 3:2 (13:11, 7:11, 8:11, 11:9, 11:5)

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – SV Werder Bremen 2:3
Benedikt Duda – Irvin Bertrand 3:0 (11:5, 11:9, 11:5)
Adrien Rassenfosse – Kirill Gerassimenko 2:3 (11:6, 7:11, 11:4, 3:11, 12:14)
Romain Ruiz – Mattias Karlsson 1:3 (5:11, 11:5, 5:11, 9:11)
Benedikt Duda – Kirill Gerassimenko 3:1 (11:6, 11:6, 8:11, 11:6)
Romain Ruiz/Cedric Meissner – Mattias Karlsson/Irvin Bertrand 1:3 (6:11, 8:11, 11:9, 7:11)

TTC immoXone Bietigheim-Bissingen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 0:3
Matej Haspel – Alvaro Robles 0:3 (5:11, 4:11, 7:11)
Jonathan Gaiser – Hugo Calderano 0:3 (6:11, 3:11, 5:11)
Michael Engelhardt – Eduard Ionescu 1:3 (9:11, 10:12, 11:7, 5:11)

ASC Grünwettersbach – Post SV Mühlhausen 0:3
Ricardo Walther – Kay Stumper 0:3 (8:11, 6:11, 5:11)
Tom Jarvis – Marcos Freitas 0:3 (10:12, 5:11, 5:11)
Tobias Hippler – Ovidiu Ionescu 0:3 (6:11, 8:11, 7:11)

TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg – TSV Bad Königshofen 0:3
Csaba Andras – Andre Bertelsmeier 1:3 (4:11, 12:10, 7:11, 4:11)
Ivor Ban – Filip Zeljko 0:3 (9:11, 4:11, 5:11)
Benno Oehme – Bastian Steger 0:3 (6:11, 9:11, 8:11)

Borussia Dortmund – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 3:0
Joao Geraldo – Samuel Walker 3:0 (11:8, 11:6, 11:4)
Anders Lind – Maciej Kubik 3:1 (11:9, 11:5, 9:11, 11:8)
Kristian Karlsson – Martin Allegro 3:1 (11:7, 5:11, 11:8, 11:9)

All matches will be broadcast live on Dyn.

Header photo: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen's Shunsuke Togami (by BeLa Sportfoto)