Bundesliga

After a month-long break, the TTBL has entered its final sprint. On Matchday 18, champions TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen suffered a major setback in the play-off race, losing 1–3 at home to TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell and leaving themselves with only theoretical hopes of reaching the Liebherr Final Four. At the same time, Saarbrücken strengthened their position with a 3–1 win over Grünwettersbach, while Bergneustadt underlined their credentials with a flawless 3–0 victory in Bad Königshofen. Relegation worries, meanwhile, are growing for both ASC and TSV.

Togami sidelined with knee injury, Ovtcharov ill

In Ochsenhausen, both teams had to cope without their nominal No. 1. TTF star Shunsuke Togami picked up an injury in preparation for a WTT event in China and travelled home to Japan, while Germany international Dimitrij Ovtcharov missed out for the visitors through illness. “We know Shunsuke is a very good player who can always win two points,” Ochsenhausen’s Leonardo Iizuka said to Dyn after the defeat, but he refused to look for excuses. “Without him, we’re still a strong team. We don’t know how long he will be out. With or without him, we will do our best.”

The hosts started well. Iulian Chirita continued his promising TTBL season with a clear straight-sets win over Fanbo Meng. Alongside Togami (14–3), the young Romanian is the only TTF player with a positive record this season, sitting at 11–9. For Meng, it was already a 13th loss in 17 singles matches.

Filus in outstanding form

In the second singles, Ruwen Filus — who would go on to be the matchwinner — faced Iizuka. Fulda’s hope that the young Ochsenhausen players would struggle against Filus’ experienced defensive game proved accurate. The Brazilian only stayed with him in the second set, but ultimately had to concede in straight sets.

Chirita fared a little better in the final singles of the tie. The Romanian twice moved in front in sets, only to give each lead away immediately. In the deciding set, at 9–9, Chirita twice failed to land his opening topspin on his own serve. Filus completed the turnaround to seal a 3–2 win — and Fulda’s overall victory.

Play-offs drifting further away for Ochsenhausen

Jonathan Groth delivered the third point for the visitors. “We’re quite satisfied with the match. It was a close match. Ruwen played super. I don’t know how he won that last match — it was very important for us. We’re happy,” the Dane said. With 16 points, Fulda are no longer looking towards the play-offs. “We’re in mid-table now, but Bergneustadt are eight points ahead of us. We’re trying to win every match and finish as high as possible.”

For the defending champions, the Final Four now looks highly unlikely. With a six-point gap to Bergneustadt and only four matches left, Ochsenhausen would need a minor table tennis miracle. Even so, it has been a solid season for TTF after a major post-title squad overhaul in the summer.

Grünwettersbach’s losing run reaches double figures

For ASC Grünwettersbach, the 1–3 defeat at 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT was already their tenth consecutive loss. Kilian Ort’s side again fought hard but could not reward themselves. “That’s the story of the last four or five matchdays. And that’s exactly how I feel right now,” a visibly frustrated Tobias Hippler told Dyn.

Hippler opened against Eduard Ionescu and snatched the first set 11–5. The Romanian quickly found his rhythm, however, and won the next three sets to prevail 3–1. Superstar Fan Zhendong also dropped a set against Ricardo Walther, but Walther was unable to apply enough sustained pressure to seriously threaten the Chinese star.

Bright spot for ASC: Jarvis stuns Jorgic

After the break came the shock of the day. ASC winter signing Tom Jarvis won only his third TTBL match — but what a win it was. Against previously unbeaten (12–0) Darko Jorgic, the Briton surged to a four-set victory for the biggest league success of his young career. “Tom obviously stands out with the win over Darko,” Hippler praised his team-mate. Saarbrücken team manager Nicolas Barrois offered context for the Slovenian’s display: “You can tell Darko still hasn’t fully recovered from the injury he picked up in the Düsseldorf match. He’s not at 100 per cent yet, and he’s still tired.”

Walther lets a lead slip away

The key moment then arrived in the battle of the No. 1s. Walther led Ionescu 2–1 in sets and 8–4 in the fourth. But the experienced player — still feeling the effects of his long injury lay-off — ran out of steam. Ionescu stole the set and then won the decider. With the victory, Saarbrücken’s play-off qualification is now virtually a formality, as Barrois confirmed. “We need one more win and then we’re through. Then we have the next highlight of the season, and we’re really looking forward to it.”

Bergneustadt flawless in Bad Königshofen

Three singles, three wins — nine sets out of nine: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt took a huge step towards the play-offs with a perfect victory at TSV Bad Königshofen. Head coach Frederik Duda’s side did not drop a set and can now dream of reaching the Final Four for the first time since 2019. With four matchdays remaining, the cushion to Ochsenhausen has grown to six points.

Romain Ruiz set the tone immediately with a major statement. Against Bad Königshofen’s marquee signing Xue Fei, the Frenchman powered to a notable straight-sets win. Benedikt Duda against André Bertelsmeier and Leo de Nodrest against Bastian Steger then followed suit.

Grünwettersbach and Bad Königshofen under relegation pressure

The table remains painful reading for ASC Grünwettersbach and TSV Bad Königshofen after Matchday 18. With second-division side TSV Windsbach applying for a TTBL licence for next season, the team finishing bottom would be relegated. Right now, that position is occupied by Grünwettersbach on eight points, while Bad Königshofen are second-bottom on ten points. Grenzau also have ten points and have a good chance to pick up a win against Bad Homburg on Wednesday.

Matchday 18 fixtures

1. FC Saarbrücken-TT – ASC Grünwettersbach 3–1
Eduard Ionescu – Tobias Hippler 3–1 (5–11, 11–4, 11–9, 11–3)
Fan Zhendong – Ricardo Walther 3–1 (11–5, 11–5, 7–11, 11–5)
Darko Jorgic – Tom Jarvis 1–3 (9–11, 11–6, 5–11, 4–11)
Eduard Ionescu – Ricardo Walther 3–2 (11–8, 13–15, 9–11, 11–8, 11–7)

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 1–3
Iulian Chirita – Fanbo Meng 3–0 (13–11, 11–2, 12–10)
Leonardo Iizuka – Ruwen Filus 0–3 (7–11, 12–14, 7–11)
Andreas Levenko – Jonathan Groth 1–3 (4–11, 12–14, 11–4, 7–11)
Iulian Chirita – Ruwen Filus 2–3 (9–11, 11–5, 11–6, 9–11, 9–11)

TSV Bad Königshofen – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt 0–3
Xue Fei – Romain Ruiz 0–3 (7–11, 8–11, 9–11)
Andre Bertelsmeier – Benedikt Duda 0–3 (5–11, 13–15, 7–11)
Bastian Steger – Leo de Nodrest 0–3 (7–11, 5–11, 10–12)

Monday, 16 March:
19:00: SV Werder Bremen – Post SV Mühlhausen

Tuesday, 17 March:
19:00: Borussia Dortmund – Borussia Düsseldorf

Wednesday, 18 March:
19:00: TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg

All matches are streamed live on Dyn.

The current TTBL standings can be found here.

Picture: Eduard Ionescu of 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT (Photo: Ulrich Höfer).