Bundesliga

Borussia Düsseldorf remain the team to beat in the TTBL. The unbeaten record champions cruised to a 3–0 victory over ASC Grünwettersbach on Matchday 8 and extended their lead at the top of the table. SV Werder Bremen also remain firmly on course for the play-offs after a 3–2 win at TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt strengthened their hold on fourth place. 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT beat TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 3–1, moved above TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen into second and can now look forward to their top-of-the-table clash with Düsseldorf.

Against a depleted ASC Grünwettersbach side, league leaders Borussia Düsseldorf were in complete control in their 3–0 victory, even at set level. The opening singles brought together Fan Zhendong and 18-year-old Adrian Gossow – two players whose levels of experience could hardly be more different. While the Chinese Olympic champion is one of the biggest names in table tennis, Gossow was playing his first TTBL singles match. The result reflected that gulf: Fan conceded just eight points in total in an 11–2, 11–3, 11–3 victory. His perfect 8–0 record also saw him move ahead of Csaba Andras (11–4) at the top of the TTBL individual rankings.

The underdogs remained without a set win thereafter. Anton Källberg comfortably beat Tobias Hippler 3–0 before Kanak Jha also prevailed in straight sets against Damian Floro. Like Gossow, Floro had not previously played a TTBL singles match this season. “It was a great atmosphere and I wanted to enjoy the moment,” Jha told Dyn after the match. “I didn’t know my opponent very well, so I focused on my own game. It was a good end to a good week for us.” The American was referring to Düsseldorf’s demanding schedule, with Borussia playing twice in the Bundesliga and once in the Champions League within the space of a few days. “Three matches in one week aren’t easy – not just for the body, but for the mind as well,” Jha explained.

Grünwettersbach were without several players, including Tom Jarvis, who was unavailable due to minor injury problems. “For the guys, it’s a huge opportunity. Adrian might never play against Fan Zhendong again,” Hippler said of the unusual line-up. “Every player wants to play against Fan once. Even if you lose, it’s simply an honour.” While the visitors dropped behind Bad Königshofen into last place following the defeat, Düsseldorf extended their advantage at the top. After Ochsenhausen lost in Dortmund on Friday, Borussia are already four points clear of their closest challengers Saarbrücken and Ochsenhausen. As the only unbeaten team in the league, Düsseldorf now stand at 16–0 points.

Werder edge hard-fought clash in Bergneustadt

SV Werder Bremen underlined their play-off ambitions with a hard-fought 3–2 away victory at TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt. After their convincing 3–0 win over Borussia Dortmund during the week, the Hanseatic side faced significantly more resistance this time.

Benedikt Duda initially put the hosts ahead with a 3–1 victory over Mattias Karlsson. The Swede struggled with a toe injury after the third set and required a medical timeout. Kirill Gerassimenko then levelled the overall match with a 3–1 win over Romain Ruiz before Adrien Rassenfosse celebrated his first victory of the season by beating Irvin Bertrand 3–1 to put Bergneustadt back in front. In the battle of the No. 1s, however, Gerassimenko also got the better of Duda 3–1. Karlsson and Bertrand then secured the deciding doubles against Ruiz and Cedric Meissner in four sets.

“It feels great, the win was very important for us,” said Gerassimenko, who also praised the fighting spirit of his injured team-mate. Karlsson had been dealing with a blister on his foot since Monday, which opened up again during the match. “In doubles, you have to move less and the rallies were shorter. It’s great that he fought and didn’t think about his foot,” Gerassimenko said.

On the other side, disappointment outweighed Rassenfosse’s joy at his first singles victory of the season. “The bitter thing is that we couldn’t get the win in the doubles. We just can’t find the right doubles pairing and win that final match,” the Belgian said. Bremen’s fifth victory of the season strengthens their hold on fourth place, while Bergneustadt remain below expectations in 10th.

Saarbrücken move into second – top clash with Düsseldorf awaits

1. FC Saarbrücken-TT took another important step in the play-off race to close Matchday 8. The reigning German champions beat TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 3–1 despite both sides being without unbeaten new signings Hugo Calderano and Liam Pitchford. Both players currently hold 5–0 singles records this season.

Patrick Franziska instead took centre stage for the hosts. Following his strong performances at the WTT events in Montpellier and Frankfurt, the Germany international put his team ahead with a 3–1 win over Samuel Walker. Grenzau’s leading player Feng Yi-Hsin responded with a 3–1 victory over Albert Vilardell before Álvaro Robles restored Saarbrücken’s advantage by edging Martin Allegro in a hard-fought five-set match.

The final singles brought Franziska up against Feng, a player he had never previously beaten. Once again, the Saarbrücken player had to work hard and survive several match points before his 3–1 victory sealed the overall win. “I had never beaten Feng before. On top of that, I didn’t feel particularly good in my first match either. In the end, I was still able to win,” Franziska said. Grenzau’s Samuel Walker acknowledged the German’s outstanding form: “Normally he’s already a top player, but right now he’s in especially good form.”

Saarbrücken improve to 12–4 points and move above Ochsenhausen into second place. Everything is therefore set for next Sunday’s headline clash on 22 November, when FCS host league leaders Borussia Düsseldorf in a direct meeting between first and second.

Matchday 8 fixtures

Borussia Düsseldorf – ASC Grünwettersbach 3–0
Fan Zhendong – Adrian Gossow 3–0 (11–2, 11–3, 11–3)
Anton Källberg – Tobias Hippler 3–0 (11–5, 11–8, 11–5)
Kanak Jha – Damian Floro 3–0 (11–4, 12–10, 11–8)

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – SV Werder Bremen 2–3
Benedikt Duda – Mattias Karlsson 3–1 (12–10, 7–11, 11–9, 11–7)
Romain Ruiz – Kirill Gerassimenko 1–3 (9–11, 9–11, 11–3, 11–13)
Adrien Rassenfosse – Irvin Bertrand 3–1 (11–9, 11–7, 7–11, 15–13)
Benedikt Duda – Kirill Gerassimenko 1–3 (6–11, 9–11, 11–5, 11–13)
Ruiz/Meissner – Karlsson/Bertrand 1–3 (7–11, 5–11, 11–8, 9–11)

1. FC Saarbrücken-TT – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 3–1
Patrick Franziska – Samuel Walker 3–1 (11–8, 12–10, 6–11, 11–9)
Albert Vilardell – Feng Yi-Hsin 1–3 (5–11, 8–11, 11–8, 7–11)
Álvaro Robles – Martin Allegro 3–2 (11–8, 11–5, 8–11, 6–11, 11–7)
Patrick Franziska – Feng Yi-Hsin 3–1 (11–1, 9–11, 11–5, 14–12)

Borussia Dortmund – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 3–0
Wim Verdonschot – Tiago Abiodun 3–2 (11–5, 12–14, 11–8, 11–13, 11–5)
Adam Szudi – Shunsuke Togami 3–2 (11–5, 9–11, 11–3, 7–11, 12–10)
João Geraldo – Iulian Chirita 3–1 (12–10, 6–11, 11–7, 11–9)

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – TSV Bad Königshofen 2–3
Dimitrij Ovtcharov – Daniel Habesohn 3–1 (12–10, 3–11, 11–6, 12–10)
Ruwen Filus – Filip Željko 1–3 (11–8, 11–13, 5–11, 10–12)
Jonathan Groth – Bastian Steger 3–1 (11–5, 8–11, 11–6, 11–9)
Dimitrij Ovtcharov – Filip Željko 2–3 (12–14, 11–3, 11–8, 9–11, 7–11)
Groth/Meng – Habesohn/Steger 1–3 (12–10, 7–11, 10–12, 6–11)

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

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Photo: Fan Zhendong of Borussia Düsseldorf (photo: BeLa Sportfoto).