Bundesliga

On the 12th match day of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), Borussia Dortmund defeated the newly crowned German cup winner 1. FC Saarbrücken TT. In front of a sold-out crowd, the Westphalians won 3:2 on Sunday evening and celebrated a surprising and important victory in the battle for the playoff spots.

The very first singles match had a special story: Kristian Karlsson faced Patrick Franziska – his brother-in-law. Karlsson was highly focused and won the match 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-8). It was a perfect start for Dortmund – and a first exclamation mark against the favorites from Saarbrücken.

Saarbrücken responded in style.

Fan Zhendong leveled the score with a confident 3-0 (11-4, 11-9, 11-5) victory over Alberto Mino, confirming his exceptional status. The Chinese player also underlined his quality in his duel with Karlsson. The second set was particularly memorable: Fan turned a 4-9 deficit into an 11-9 lead and secured a 3-0 victory (11-8, 11-9, 11-3) shortly afterwards.

Adam Szudi had previously put BVB back in the lead. The Hungarian was in impressive form, playing powerfully and variably, and deservedly prevailed 3-1 (11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-8) against Eduard Ionescu.

Doubles match decides the outcome

The final doubles match would decide victory or defeat – and it turned into a real thriller. Cedric Nuytinck and Adam Szudi, who had just come into the game, played thrilling rallies against Patrick Franziska and Eduard Ionescu. The Dortmund pair kept their nerve at the decisive moment and secured a narrow 3-1 (11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9) home victory.

“We put in a very good team performance today. Saarbrücken is a very strong team, but we were able to play to our strengths well today,” said Alberto Mino after the match.

Outlook for the remaining matches of the 12th match day

On Tuesday, January 13, league leaders SV Werder Bremen will face TSV Bad Königshofen at 7 p.m. The Hanseatic team wants to defend its top position, while the Lower Franconians urgently need to collect points to stay out of the relegation zone.

On Wednesday, January 14, TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau will face reigning German champions TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen (7 p.m.). Grenzau hopes to build on its recent performances, while the Upper Swabians are fighting for playoff spots.

Matchday 12 at a glance

Borussia Dortmund – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 3:2
Kristian Karlsson – Patrick Franziska 3:0 (11:8, 11:8, 11:8)
Alberto Mino – Fan Zhendong 0:3 (4:11, 9:11, 5:11)
Adam Szudi – Eduard Ionescu 3:1 (11:5, 11:6, 9:11, 11:8)
Kristian Karlsson – Fan Zhendong 0:3 (8:11, 9:11, 3:11)
Cedric Nuytinck / Adam Szudi – Patrick Franziska / Eduard Ionescu 3:1 (11:9, 11:8, 8:11, 11:9)

ASC Grünwettersbach – Post SV Mühlhausen 1:3
Tiago Apolonia – Ovidiu Ionescu 3:2 (12:10, 8:11, 13:11, 6:11, 11:7)
Tom Jarvis – Steffen Mengel 1:3 (11:13, 11:6, 10:12, 8:11)
Hiroto Shinozuka – Marcos Freitas (9:11, 11:9, 10:12, 8:11)
Tobias Hippler – Steffen Mengel 1:3 (8:11, 11:9, 3:11, 6:11)

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – Borussia Düsseldorf 2:3
Romain Ruiz – Li Yongyin 3:2 (5:11, 11:6, 7:11, 12:10, 11:4)
Benedikt Duda – Anton Källberg 3:0 (11:7, 14:12, 12:10)
Leo de Nodrest – Dang Qiu 0:3 (9:11, 9:11, 4:11)
Romain Ruiz – Anton Källberg 1:3 (11:6, 0:11, 5:11, 1:11)
Duda/de Nodrest – Qiu/Li 1:3 (11:5, 6:11, 9:11, 12:14)

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg 1:3
Ruwen Filus – Csaba Andras 0:3 (8:11, 10:12, 11:13)
Dimitrij Ovtcharov – Jo Yokotani 3:1 (11:8, 12:10, 8:11, 11:6)
Fanbo Meng – Juan Perez 1:3 (4:11, 11:7, 7:11, 11:13)
Ruwen Filus – Jo Yokotani 2:3 (13:11, 11:5, 4:11, 9:11, 5:11)

Tuesday, January 13
7 p.m.: SV Werder Bremen – TSV Bad Königshofen

Wednesday, January 14
7 p.m.: TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen

All matches will be broadcast live on Dyn.
Featured image: Adam Szudi from Borussia Dortmund (photo: Ulrich Höfer)