Pokal

TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg clinched the first ticket to the Liebherr Cup Final Four on 4 January in Neu-Ulm. The Hessians edged record winners Borussia Düsseldorf 3–2 on Tuesday and will return to the season’s showpiece for a second straight year. Düsseldorf, meanwhile, miss the New Year highlight again after another quarter-final exit.

Euphoria swept through the Wingert Sporthalle after match point. Bad Homburg’s players tore down the courtside barriers to celebrate with the victorious doubles pair, Ivor Ban and Csaba Andras — securing a second consecutive trip to Neu-Ulm. They had led 2–0 before being dragged to the deciding doubles, but no one in Bad Homburg will mind. “We have a team that is developing and has hit its peak over the last two years,” said a proud head coach Helmut Hampl on Dyn.

For Düsseldorf, the defeat is a setback after strong recent results. On Sunday they had reclaimed top spot in the TTBL by beating Bergneustadt 3–1 and were targeting a return to the Cup Final Four. Instead, Bad Homburg head back with real belief. “If you beat Borussia Düsseldorf at full strength, you’ve got a chance against many,” Hampl noted — while adding a note of caution: “We’ll make ourselves as hard to beat as possible.”

Bad Homburg start fast

Under the gaze of VIPs Timo Boll, national coach Jörg Roßkopf and DTTB performance director Richard Prause, the hosts burst out of the blocks. Top man Jo Yokotani’s 3–1 over Anton Källberg wasn’t a given, but it was deserved on the night. In match two, Düsseldorf’s Dang Qiu led by two games to one and 7:2 points when Ivor Ban launched a charge, saving two match points and turning it around in the decider. At 2–0 up, the TTC crowd began to believe in a Cup fairytale.

Düsseldorf’s fightback falls short

After the interval, Kanak Jha pulled one back for Düsseldorf, growing into the match to beat Andras in four. Qiu then levelled the tie with a hard-fought win over Yokotani — despite again letting a lead slip in game two and the Japanese player saving four match points, the European champion held his nerve and converted the fifth. In the deciding doubles, Källberg lined up with Borgar Haug for the first time this season, but Ban/Andras dominated the serve-receive battles and sealed Bad Homburg’s place at the Final Four.

Düsseldorf get an immediate shot at revenge in the TTBL on Saturday — again away to Bad Homburg. In the Cup, the next quarter-final is on Wednesday: holders TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen host Post SV Mühlhausen (19:00). The last two tickets will be decided next Monday when second-tier SV Union Velbert face 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT (18:30) and TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell meet TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau (19:00).

Cup quarter-finals at a glance

TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg – Borussia Düsseldorf 3–2
Jo Yokotani – Anton Källberg 3–1 (11:8, 11:6, 6:11, 11:9)
Ivor Ban – Dang Qiu 3–2 (6:11, 11:7, 5:11, 10:12, 13:11)
Csaba Andras – Kanak Jha 1–3 (12:10, 8:11, 2:11, 4:11)
Jo Yokotani – Dang Qiu 1–3 (9:11, 12:10, 6:11, 12:14)
Ban/Andras – Källberg/Haug 3–1 (13:11, 11:4, 8:11, 11:5)

Wednesday, 19 November:
7:00 p.m.: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – Post SV Mühlhausen

Monday, 24 November:
6:30 p.m.: SV Union Velbert – 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT
7:00 p.m.: TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau

Picture: Ivor Ban of TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg (Photo: Ulrich Höfer)