Bundesliga

On TTBL Matchday 8, 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT missed the chance to go top. Against TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg, FCS squandered a 2–0 lead and fell in the deciding doubles, failing to capitalise on former leaders SV Werder Bremen’s slip.

Saarbrücken could hardly have expected such an opening on Sunday morning: Bremen’s surprise 0–3 defeat at ASC Grünwettersbach offered the chance to take the lead for the first time this season. Without Patrick Franziska, who was with his family in Sweden, and without Chinese star Fan Zhendong, Darko Jorgic’s team, however, came up short against the visitors from Bad Homburg.

Jorgic at least received a brief breather in a packed schedule: on Friday he had also featured in the Champions League, a 3–2 win away to Dojlidy Białystok. Seeded at No. 2, he built on Yuto Muramatsu’s opening point and made it 2–0 at the interval with a routine straight-games win over Csaba Andras. Earlier, the Japanese defender had beaten Juan Perez 3–1.

Bad Homburg win in the deciding doubles

After the break, the momentum flipped. Cedric Meissner and substitute Eduard Ionescu, who came in for Muramatsu, dropped three points in a row. First, Benno Oehme claimed his first win of the season with a clear 3–0 over Meissner. Ionescu started well but still had to congratulate Andras in four. In the deciding doubles, FCS led twice but ultimately lost in five to Ivor Ban and Jo Yokotani.

Saarbrücken sit third on 10:6, behind Bremen and new leaders Borussia Düsseldorf. For Bad Homburg it capped a sensational week: after the crucial basement win over TSV Bad Königshofen, the Hessians made it two in a row. “The two points are important,” Oehme told Dyn. TTC remain 10th and host Borussia Düsseldorf in the German Cup quarter-final on Tuesday in the Wingert Sporthalle.

Matchday 8 fixtures

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

Bad Königshofen – Post SV Mühlhausen 1–3
Filip Zeljko – Marcos Freitas 2–3 (9:11, 10:12, 11:7, 11:9, 7:11)
Daniel Habesohn – Kay Stumper 1–3 (12:10, 4:11, 7:11, 8:11)
Bastian Steger – Steffen Mengel 3–2 (8:11, 8:11, 11:9, 11:9, 11:6)
Filip Zeljko – Kay Stumper 0–3 (13:15, 5:11, 3:11)

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 1–3
Jonathan Groth – Andreas Levenko 2–3 (12:10, 6:11, 6:11, 11:8, 5:11)
Fanbo Meng – Iulian Chirita 3–1 (4:11, 11:6, 11:8, 11:9)
Dimitrij Ovtcharov – Shunsuke Togami 1–3 (5:11, 3:11, 11:7, 7:11)
Jonathan Groth – Iulian Chirita 1–3 (9:11, 10:12, 11:8, 12:14)

Borussia Düsseldorf – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt 3–1
Dang Qiu – Romain Ruiz 3–1 (11:8, 11:9, 11:13, 11:5)
Anton Källberg – Benedikt Duda 3–2 (4:11, 7:11, 11:3, 11:6, 11:9)
Kanak Jha – Leo de Nodrest 2–3 (6:11, 11:7, 9:11, 11:4, 9:11)
Dang Qiu – Benedikt Duda 3–1 (11:9, 11:6, 9:11, 11:5)

ASC Grünwettersbach – SV Werder Bremen 3–0
Hiroto Shinozuka – Marcel Aguirre 3–0 (11:5, 11:7, 11:5)
Tiago Apolonia – Kirill Gerassimenko 3–2 (11:6, 6:11, 11:13, 11:9, 12:10)
Tobias Hippler – Mattias Falck 3–1 (11:4, 3:11, 11:9, 12:10)

1. FC Saarbrücken-TT – TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg 2–3
Yuto Muramatsu – Juan Perez 3–1 (10:12, 13:11, 11:9, 11:3)
Darko Jorgic – Csaba Andras 3–0 (11:8, 11:5, 11:8)
Cedric Meissner – Benno Oehme 0–3 (10:12, 5:11, 9:11)
Eduard Ionescu – Csaba Andras 1–3 (11:8, 8:11, 7:11, 4:11)
Meissner/Ionescu – Ban/Yokotani 2–3 (11:6, 8:11, 13:11, 4:11, 7:11)

All Games are broadcast live on Dyn.

Picture: Darko Jorgic of TTC Saarbrücken-TT (Photo: Ulrich Höfer)