Bundesliga

In front of around 3,300 spectators at a sold-out Castello, Borussia Düsseldorf beat 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT 3–2 in the TTBL top match and defended their lead at the top of the table. The fans saw Olympic champion Fan Zhendong – and a comeback from the home side after falling 0–2 behind. It completed an all-around successful week for the record champions, who picked up two TTBL wins and also reached the Champions League Final Four.

From the very start on Sunday, all eyes – and countless cameras – were on Fan Zhendong. With extra travelling fans keen to see the Olympic champion, Borussia Düsseldorf moved to the Castello for the first time in more than ten years, a venue with roughly three times the capacity of the ARAG Centercourt. The Chinese superstar did not keep the crowd waiting: listed somewhat surprisingly at No. 2, Fan played the opening singles against Düsseldorf’s Kanak Jha. “He didn’t play as freely and didn’t have the self-confidence we usually see from him,” Dyn expert Timo Boll analysed the performance of his close friend, who still won the match 3–1. “For the level he can reach, it was a solid showing. He didn’t produce any magic, he didn’t lift the crowd off their seats,” Boll said. “Even in that form, he’s still an outstanding player.”

Next came a meeting of two German top players. Dang Qiu pushed Patrick Franziska but struggled to find his usual rhythm. The first two sets slipped away quickly for the world No. 12; a brief response in the third set (11–3) was not enough to complete a turnaround. Franziska wrapped it up in four sets and sent Saarbrücken into the break with a 2–0 lead. During the interval, there was a short celebration for Chinese New Year, dedicated to the many Chinese fans in attendance.

Strong Källberg sparks the comeback

After the break, Düsseldorf had to respond. Anton Källberg stepped to the table against Cedric Meissner and pulled a point back with a clear straight-sets win. Only in the opening set did Meissner have a real chance to make a mark, but he failed to convert any of his three set points. “It didn’t go as well as last time – it was much closer against Anton then,” Meissner said afterwards, also revealing he had been dealing with illness throughout the week. Kanak Jha then capped his strong display against Fan by beating Franziska 3–1 in the battle of the No. 1s and forced the deciding doubles match.

Fan was needed again there: alongside Meissner, he faced Düsseldorf’s right-handed pairing of Qiu/Källberg. The supposedly unpractised Borussia duo clicked from the first rally and looked more settled than their opponents. “We still know each other well and had a good plan,” Källberg explained. “Ceddy and Fan Zhendong probably haven’t trained doubles together that often.” Qiu/Källberg completed the record champions’ comeback with a 3–1 win.

Future questions: Will Fan remain in the TTBL?

With the victory, Borussia Düsseldorf stay top of the table – the only team on 28 points. “We won twice in the Bundesliga and also in the Champions League. Basically a perfect week for us,” Jha said. “Hopefully we can take this good form into the play-offs – in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League.” Saarbrücken follow in third place with 24 points and remain firmly on course for the play-offs.

Beyond this season and the play-offs, however, it remains unclear whether Fan will stay with 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT – and therefore in the TTBL – next season. “He tells me he likes it a lot, so I assume he’ll stay in the TTBL,” Boll said on Dyn, offering hope there will be more to come. Meissner will leave Saarbrücken at the end of the season, but will remain in Germany’s top division. “I can’t say it yet – it will be announced soon. I’m looking forward to a new challenge. I’ll most likely play significantly more matches than I did in Saarbrücken. That’s important for me to keep developing as a player,” Meissner said.

Matchday 17 fixtures

Borussia Düsseldorf – 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT 3–2
Kanak Jha – Fan Zhendong 1–3 (11–6, 8–11, 6–11, 9–11)
Dang Qiu – Patrick Franziska 1–3 (8–11, 4–11, 11–3, 6–11)
Anton Källberg – Cedric Meissner 3–0 (14–12, 11–8, 11–7)
Kanak Jha – Patrick Franziska 3–1 (11–4, 14–16, 11–4, 11–9)
Qiu/Källberg – Meissner/Fan 3–1 (12–10, 11–7, 7–11, 11–8)

ASC Grünwettersbach – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 2–3
Hiroto Shinozuka – Fanbo Meng 3–0 (11–9, 11–4, 11–7)
Tiago Apolonia – Ruwen Filus 3–1 (11–6, 12–14, 11–6, 13–11)
Tom Jarvis – Jonathan Groth 1–3 (8–11, 9–11, 11–4, 5–11)
Hiroto Shinozuka – Ruwen Filus 2–3 (11–7, 7–11, 7–11, 11–5, 7–11)
Walther/Apolonia – Meng/Groth 0–3 (7–11, 9–11, 7–11)

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – SV Werder Bremen 3–2
Benedikt Duda – Irvin Bertrand 3–1 (11–8, 8–11, 11–3, 11–8)
Adrien Rassenfosse – Mattias Falck 1–3 (11–8, 10–12, 11–13, 7–11)
Leo de Nodrest – Kirill Gerassimenko 1–3 (6–11, 11–8, 5–11, 6–11)
Benedikt Duda – Mattias Falck 3–1 (13–15, 23–21, 11–9, 11–5)
de Nodrest/Rassenfosse – Gerassimenko/Bertrand 3–0 (11–7, 11–8, 11–9)

Sunday, 15 February:
3:30 pm: TSV Bad Königshofen – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen
5:00 pm: Post SV Mühlhausen – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau

Monday, 16 February:
7:00 pm: TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg – Borussia Dortmund

Picture: Kanak Jha of Borussia Düsseldorf (Photo: Jörg Fuhrmann)