Bundesliga

After their early exit from the play-off race, TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen suffered a heavy home defeat on Matchday 20 in the TTBL, losing 0–3 to Post SV Mühlhausen. For the Thuringians, the win secures mathematical safety with two matchdays remaining.

Ovidiu Ionescu provided the “can opener” for Post SV right away in the opening singles, as team-mate Kay Stumper described the Romanian’s five-set win to Dyn after the match. Against Iulian Chirita, Ionescu had trailed 1–2 in sets before changing his approach. He targeted his compatriot’s backhand more consistently on serve and turned the match around with two clear sets in his favour. “I tried everything to win, but Ovi played very well,” Chirita admitted. “He deserved the win.”

With the lead established, Stumper then faced Leonardo Iizuka and produced one of his most commanding performances of the season. The clean 3–0 win over the Brazilian moves the 23-year-old into a positive record (8–7). “Steffen Mengel and I followed up really well,” Stumper said. “I’d say we deserved to win.” Mengel beat Andreas Levenko after taking two of the first three tightly contested sets, then pulling clear in the fourth to complete a 3–1 victory.

Safety secured for Mühlhausen

The result lifts Mühlhausen up to eighth in the table and, more importantly, removes the last lingering concerns about survival with two matchdays to go. On 16 points, Post SV now hold an eight-point cushion over bottom club ASC Grünwettersbach. With three matches left, ASC can still win only six points, meaning Mühlhausen are safe. Ochsenhausen remain fifth; their play-off hopes had already evaporated after Bergneustadt’s win on Friday. Even so, the defeat still hurt Chirita. “It’s not nice to lose 0–3 at home in front of your own crowd,” he said.

TTF president Pejinović: “We’re staying true to our philosophy”

During the break, TTF president Kristijan Pejinović looked ahead to next season, with Darius Movileanu and Daniel Berzosa already confirmed as new signings who will wear the Ochsenhausen shirt in the coming campaign. “The direction remains the same: the young players should continue to be developed and get their matches,” Pejinović said. “We’re staying true to our philosophy.” Spain’s Berzosa arrives from French second-division side Saint-Denis TT93 and is described as head coach Bogdan Pugna’s “preferred target”. “He’s a left-hander, very good in doubles. He’s been able to produce results in recent years and has been consistent in France,” Pejinović added.

Movileanu is the second Romanian in the TTF squad alongside Chirita and has already been training at the performance centre in Ochsenhausen for a year. “The coach has been able to watch him long enough and felt he should be given the chance to step in,” Pejinović said. Most recently, Movileanu played in the second division for Mainz. The pair are expected to complement the young group around star man Shunsuke Togami and compensate for the departure of Andreas Levenko — but the president refused to put undue expectations on the two newcomers. “Both still have room to improve and should be given time. They won’t come into the league and immediately post positive results. We’re not assuming that at all.”

Matchday 20 fixtures

TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – Borussia Dortmund 3:1
Feng Yi-Hsin – Alberto Miño 3:1 (7:11, 11:4, 11:9, 11:4)
Maciej Kubik – Kristian Karlsson 1:3 (10:12, 11:6, 3:11, 7:11)
Luka Mladenovic – Cedric Nuytinck 3:2 (11:8, 11:9, 9:11, 9:11, 11:7)
Feng Yi-Hsin – Kristian Karlsson 3:2 (11:13, 8:11, 11:9, 12:10, 11:5)

1. FC Saarbrücken-TT – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 2:3
Fan Zhendong – Qing Yu Meng 3:0 (12:10, 11:5, 11:8)
Samuel Arpas – Ruwen Filus 0:3 (9:11, 4:11, 8:11)
Cedric Meissner – Fanbo Meng 1:3 (11:8, 8:11, 9:11, 8:11)
Fan Zhendong – Ruwen Filus 3:0 (11:3, 11:6, 11:6)
Meissner/Arpas – Meng/Meng 1:3 (6:11, 8:11, 11:6, 9:11)

SV Werder Bremen – Borussia Düsseldorf 2:3
Kirill Gerassimenko – Li Yongyin 3:0 (11:8, 12:10, 11:7)
Mattias Falck – Kanak Jha 2:3 (2:11, 11:3, 11:9, 10:12, 10:12)
Irvin Bertrand – Anton Källberg 2:3 (10:12, 11:7, 7:11, 13:11, 10:12)
Kirill Gerassimenko – Kanak Jha 3:0 (11:7, 12:10, 12:10)
Falck/Bertrand – Källberg/Li 2:3 (3:11, 11:7, 11:6, 5:11, 8:11)

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg 3:1
Benedikt Duda – Juan Perez 3:0 (11:5, 11:7, 11:6)
Adrien Rassenfosse – Jo Yokotani 0:3 (11:13, 11:13, 4:11)
Romain Ruiz – Benno Oehme 3:1 (11:2, 11:8, 7:11, 11:4)
Benedikt Duda – Jo Yokotani 3:0 (11:9, 12:10, 11:7)

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – Post SV Mühlhausen 0:3
Iulian Chirita – Ovidiu Ionescu 2:3 (8:11, 11:5, 11:4, 6:11, 3:11)
Leonardo Iizuka – Kay Stumper 0:3 (9:11, 6:11, 8:11)
Andreas Levenko – Steffen Mengel 1:3 (9:11, 9:11, 14:12, 6:11)

Sunday, 29 March:
14:00: TSV Bad Königshofen – ASC Grünwettersbach

All matches are streamed live on Dyn.

The current TTBL table can be found here.

Picture: Ovidiu Ionescu of Post SV Mühlhausen (Photo: Maximilian Brüning).