Pokal

Two days of world-class table tennis brought the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening to Nuremberg. In the end, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT, TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell, SV Werder Bremen, and Borussia Dortmund emerged victorious and will now compete in the Liebherr Cup Final4, which will be held in Neu-Ulm in January. A total of 3,500 spectators at the Kia Metropol Arena ensured a successful premiere of the new event format.

16 teams, 12 matches, four tickets to the Liebherr Cup Final4: With the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening, the organizing Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) launched a new event and brought world-class sports to Nuremberg. For the first time, the round of 16 and quarterfinals of the German Table Tennis Cup were held in a compact format over a single weekend and centralized in one location—and the premiere immediately demonstrated the potential of the new format.

“With the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening, we’ve broken new ground, as there has never been an event like this in German table tennis before,” said Nico Stehle, managing director of the Table Tennis Bundesliga. “Twelve knockout matches over two days, all the stars in one place, thrilling matches: It was a fantastic weekend of great sports. Now we’re looking forward to the showdown in the Liebherr Cup Final4.”

Ovtcharov and Groth Deliver the Finale for Fulda

Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Jonathan Groth provided the finale to a thrilling weekend: The match between TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell and TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen lasted about three hours, with the momentum shifting back and forth repeatedly. In the end, last year’s finalist from East Hesse triumphed 3–2 and can thus continue to dream of the first title in the club’s history. Ovtcharov and Groth left no doubt about their superiority in their 3–0 doubles victory over Tiago Abiodun and Iulian Chirita. Earlier, Shunsuke Togami had proved unbeatable; however, Ovtcharov and Ruwen Filus clinched the other two singles matches for Fulda.

“We came here and, given the strong competition, just wanted to see what was possible,” Filus summed up on Sunday evening. “We gave it our all and fought for every ball. Now we’re very, very happy and proud that we’ve made it to the Final4 once again.”

The Liebherr Cup Final4 will be held in early January 2027 at the ratiopharm arena in Ulm/Neu-Ulm. Ticket sales will begin shortly.

Ovtcharov and Groth Close Out the Weekend for Fulda

Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Jonathan Groth provided the finale to a thrilling weekend: The match between TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell and TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen lasted about three hours, with the momentum shifting back and forth repeatedly. In the end, last year’s finalist from East Hesse triumphed 3–2 and can thus continue to dream of the first title in the club’s history. Ovtcharov and Groth left no doubt about their superiority in their 3–0 doubles victory over Tiago Abiodun and Iulian Chirita. Earlier, Shunsuke Togami had proved unbeatable; however, Ovtcharov and Ruwen Filus clinched the other two singles matches for Fulda.

“We came here and, given the strong competition, just wanted to see what was possible,” Filus summed up on Sunday evening. “We gave it our all and fought for every ball. Now we’re very, very happy and proud that we’ve made it to the Final4 once again.”

The Liebherr Cup Final4 will be held in early January 2027 at the ratiopharm arena in Ulm/Neu-Ulm. Ticket sales will begin shortly.

Hugo Calderano: “The Final4 is always a great event”

For the sixth consecutive time, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT is competing in the Liebherr Cup Final4. In their 3-1 victory over Post SV Mühlhausen, the defending champions and reigning triple winners had to weather a scare: Mühlhausen led 1–0, and Ovidiu Ionescu was up 2–0 in sets and 7–3 in points against Hugo Calderano in the second singles match. The Thuringians were already dreaming of an upset. But it didn’t happen—Calderano fought his way back into the match and tied the score at 1–1 with a 3–2 victory. This was followed by wins from Patrick Franziska and, once again, Calderano. In the round of 16 the previous day, Saarbrücken had faced TTC immoXone Bietigheim-Bissingen (3–0), giving the third-division team a highlight of its season.

“It really wasn’t easy,” Calderano said with a sigh of relief after advancing to the semifinals. “In the second match, I had to fight and stay mentally strong—luckily, I managed to do that. I’m very happy to have won my two matches.” Now the World Cup champion is looking forward to the Liebherr Cup Final4: “The Final4 is always a great event. It’s a lot of fun to play there. The arena is great, the fans are great. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Dortmund Advances to the Liebherr Cup Final4 for the First Time

In the semifinals, the FCS will face Borussia Dortmund. On Sunday, BVB became the first team to secure a spot in the semifinals, thereby qualifying for the Liebherr Cup Final4 for the first time in the club’s history. Kristian Karlsson, Anders Lind, and Joao Geraldo each won their matches 3-1 to defeat TSV Bad Königshofen 3-0, after which they celebrated in a jubilant huddle. “We showed today that we have a very strong team,” Geraldo said afterward. “It’s a real joy to be part of this team. I believe we can still achieve a lot together.”

With a 3-0 victory over SV Union Velbert II, SV Werder Bremen secured its return to the Liebherr Cup Final4. In 2025, the Hanseatic side had been eliminated in the semifinals by Saarbrücken (1-3); this time, they’ll face Fulda at the ratiopharm arena. Third-division side Velbert II put up a valiant fight against the fifth-place team in the TTBL standings. With the set score at 2–1, Anton Limonov had the lead within his grasp for Velbert II, leading Marcelo Aguirre first 6–1, then 7–4, and later 10–8. Aguirre, however, turned the match around and won 3–2, before his teammates Kirill Gerassimenko and Mattias Karlsson made things much less suspenseful with their 3–0 victories. “Our opponents had nothing to lose. I think they played very, very well today,” Gerassimenko said afterward, praising Velbert II.

All twelve matches live and in a multi-match feed on Dyn

The organizers also had reason to celebrate: With a total of 3,500 spectators over the two days, the audience in Nuremberg responded very positively to the premiere of the new format. Those who couldn’t make it to the Kia Metropol Arena were able to follow the entire event on Dyn. The streaming service broadcast all matches of the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening live and in a multi-match feed. Timo Boll once again served as the expert commentator.

“We experienced two intense, thrilling days—that’s exactly the kind of intensity we wanted to create with the Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening,” said TTBL Managing Director Stehle. “Our thanks go to all the teams, the many volunteers, the fans, and our numerous partners, whose trust made this premiere possible in the first place.”

The Leapmotor Cup Grand Opening at a glance

Quarterfinals

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 2:3
Shunsuke Togami – Jonathan Groth 3:0 (11:5, 12:10, 12:10)
Tiago Abiodun – Ruwen Filus 1:3 (10:12, 11:9, 7:11, 4:11)
Iulian Chirita – Dimitrij Ovtcharov 1:3 (11:7, 8:11, 3:11, 8:11)
Shunsuke Togami – Ruwen Filus 3:0 (11:5, 12:10, 11:4)
Iulian Chirita/Tiago Abiodun – Jonathan Groth/Dimitrij Ovtcharov 0:3 (7:11, 8:11, 6:11)

SV Union Velbert II – SV Werder Bremen 0:3
Anton Limonov – Marcelo Aguirre 2:3 (5:11, 11:5, 12:10, 11:13, 7:11)
Karl Walter – Kirill Gerassimenko 0:3 (7:11, 4:11, 8:11)
Noah Hersel – Mattias Karlsson 0:3 (9:11, 9:11, 10:12)

Post SV Mühlhausen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 1:3
Kay Stumper – Alvaro Robles 3:1 (11:9, 13:11, 9:11, 12:10)
Ovidiu Ionescu – Hugo Calderano 2:3 (11:9, 11:4, 9:11, 5:11, 7:11)
Marcos Freitas – Patrick Franziska 0:3 (5:11, 5:11, 7:11)
Kay Stumper – Hugo Calderano 1:3 (11:8, 8:11, 5:11, 6:11)

TSV Bad Königshofen – Borussia Dortmund 0:3
Bastian Steger – Kristian Karlsson 1:3 (7:11, 11:8, 3:11, 9:11)
Daniel Habesohn – Anders Lind 1:3 (11:9, 6:11, 10:12, 6:11)
Andre Bertelsmeier – Joao Geraldo 1:3 (5:11, 11:2, 10:12, 9:11)

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)

Header photo: TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell celebrates in the doubles (by BeLa Sportfoto)