Pokal

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell made light work of ASC Grünwettersbach’s second string to book their place in the quarterfinals of the German Table Tennis Cup. The Hessian side are now just one win away from reaching the Final Four in Neu-Ulm on January 4, 2026 – a stage they missed out on last year.

Fulda lined up at full strength, while the visitors traveled without Ricardo Walther, Hiroto Shinozuka and Tiago Apolonia. New ASC coach Kilian Ort, who had celebrated his debut with a win over record champions Borussia Düsseldorf only days earlier, had to accept his first defeat in charge at the Hubtex Arena.

Groth sets the tone – Hippler offers brief hope

Jonathan Groth gave Fulda a flying start with a commanding 3:0 win over Adrian Gossow. The Dane continued his strong league form, having bounced back from two opening defeats with three straight victories in the Bundesliga.

Tobias Hippler delivered Grünwettersbach’s only highlight of the night, edging Fanbo Meng 11:9 in the opening game. But Meng quickly took control, cruising through the next two games and overturning a 7:9 deficit in the fourth to seal the 3:1 victory. “We’re very happy to reach the quarterfinals – it was a must-win task for us. Hippi and I have known each other for a long time, which makes the start even trickier,” Meng told Dyn after the match.

Ovtcharov too strong for Floro

Dimitrij Ovtcharov wrapped up the tie in style, dispatching Damian Floro 3:0. The Grünwettersbach player, usually competing in Germany’s third division, produced some eye-catching rallies but ultimately stood little chance against the multiple Olympic medalist.

Fulda now turn their focus to Monday’s Round 4 fixture in the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), where they host 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT. With global stars Fan Zhendong and Patrick Franziska in the squad, Saarbrücken represent a very different caliber of opposition. “No matter how Saarbrücken line up on Monday – it will be a top match,” Meng said.

Round of 16 Cup Games

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – ASC Grünwettersbach 3:0
Jonathan Groth – Adrian Gossow 3:0 (11:8, 11:3, 11:5)
Fanbo Meng – Tobias Hippler 3:1 (9:11, 11:4, 11:4, 12:10)
Dimitrij Ovtcharov – Damian Floro 3:0 (11:8, 11:1, 11:8)

1. FC Saarbrücken-TT – Borussia Dortmund 3:0
Fan Zhendong – Adam Szudi 3:0 (11:4, 11:2, 11:7)
Patrick Franziska – Cedric Nuytinck 3:0 (12:10, 11:4, 15:13)
Darko Jorgic – Alberto Mino 3:0 (11:9, 11:5, 11:4)

SV Union Velbert – 1. FSV Mainz 05 3:1
Wim Verdonschot – Nathan Lam 3:0 (11:4, 11:8, 11:6)
Timotius Köchling – Chia-Hung Sun 3:2 (11:4, 10:12, 7:11, 11:8, 11:6)
Anton Limonov – Daniel Berzosa 2:3 (6:11, 8:11, 11:7, 14:12, 7:11)
Wim Verdonschot – Albert Vilardell 3:2 (11:13, 11:4, 11:8, 7:11, 11:6)

1. FC Saarbrücken TT II – TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg 1:3
Yuto Muramatsu – Benno Oehme 3:0 (11:9, 11:4, 11:4)
Eduard Ionescu – Csaba Andras 2:3 (11:7, 11:6, 7:11, 4:11, 6:11)
Dennis Klein – Ivor Ban 1:3 (9:11, 9:11, 11:8, 9:11)
Yuto Muramatsu – Csaba Andras 2:3 (10:12, 11:3, 6:11, 14:12, 9:11)

TTC indeland Jülich – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 0:3
Laurens Devos – Luka Mladenovic 0:3 (9:11, 10:12, 7:11)
Robin Devos – Feng Yi-Hsin 1:3 (7:11, 15:13, 5:11, 3:11)
Kas van Oost – Samuel Walker 0:3 (3:11, 5:11, 5:11)

Samstag, 20. September
16 Uhr: TSV Bad Königshofen – Borussia Düsseldorf

Sonntag, 21. September
13 Uhr: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – SV Werder Bremen
15 Uhr: Post SV Mühlhausen – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt

Alle Games are broadcast live on Dyn.

Picture: Darko Jorgic of 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT (Photo: Ulrich Höfer)