Bundesliga

To kick off the new season in the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), 1. FC Saarbrücken TT made an immediate statement: The German champions celebrated a 3-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund on Sunday. TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau also secured its first points, defeating Post SV Mühlhausen 3-2 that evening.

A new era began on Sunday for 1. FC Saarbrücken TT: With Fan Zhendong, the Saarland-based team won the triple crown for the first time last season, but this season the team must now manage without the Olympic champion. But even without Fan and Darko Jorgic—who has also left the team—the FCS showed its best side on Sunday: In the season opener, Saarbrücken celebrated a 3-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund, securing its first points of the new Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) season.

“It definitely wasn’t our best performance,” said BVB newcomer Wim Verdonschot into the Dyn microphone after the match. “Saarbrücken is a top-tier team. Even though they didn’t play with their best lineup today, they were very strong.”

Alvaro Robles wins 3-2 in FCS Debut

In his TTBL debut, Verdonschot had previously put in a strong performance and shown on several occasions why Dortmund had brought him back for the new season. Against Eduard Ionescu, the 21-year-old saved four match points in the third set, but Ionescu then capitalized on the fifth to secure a 3-0 victory. “It wasn’t my best match; I didn’t really find my rhythm,” said Verdonschot. “Overall, I still need to get used to the conditions.”

Earlier, the opening singles match had also gone to the German champions. Patrick Franziska defeated TTBL returnee Joao Geraldo 3–2. After the break, Alvaro Robles sealed the straight-sets victory for Saarbrücken: the FCS newcomer secured a 3–2 win over Kristian Karlsson.

Grenzau comes back from behind in Mühlhausen

About three hours later, TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau also secured its first points of the season. At Post SV Mühlhausen, the team led by new coach Chen Zhibin came back from a deficit and ultimately celebrated a 3-2 victory.

The pivotal match took place in the top singles match, where Feng Yi-Hsin impressively kept his composure. Against Kay Stumper, the Taiwanese player trailed 1–2 in sets and 0–4 in points, with the Post SV crowd already frenetically celebrating what they thought was an imminent victory. But Feng fought back: With an 11–8 win, he forced a fifth set, took a 5–0 lead there, and effectively ended Stumper’s hopes. With Feng’s 3–2 victory, the match moved on to the doubles.

Kubik and Allegro shine in doubles

There, Grenzau played to its strengths, just as it had the previous year. Kubik and Martin Allegro largely controlled the match against Ovidiu Ionescu and Marcos Freitas and ultimately secured their team’s opening victory with a 3-0 win. Earlier, Feng had already won his first singles match 3-0 against Ovidiu Ionescu. For Mühlhausen, Steffen Mengel won the opening singles match 3-1 against Kubik, and Freitas, playing in the third position, secured a 3-1 victory over Samuel Walker.

The first matchday of the Table Tennis Bundesliga continues tomorrow, Monday, August 17. Two more matches are on the schedule: Starting at 6:30 p.m., SV Werder Bremen will host TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell; at 7:00 p.m., TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen will face off against TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt. These and all other TTBL matches will be broadcast live on Dyn.

Match day #1 at a glance

Borussia Dortmund – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 0:3
Joao Geraldo – Patrick Franziska 2:3 (11:5, 2:11, 11:8, 4:11, 7:11)
Wim Verdonschot – Eduard Ionescu 0:3 (7:11, 9:11, 12:14)
Kristian Karlsson – Alvaro Robles 2:3 (7:11, 11:9, 11:9, 5:11, 4:11)

Post SV Mühlhausen – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 2:3
Steffen Mengel – Maciej Kubik 3:1 (11:9, 6:11, 11:4, 11:5)
Ovidiu Ionescu – Feng Yi-Hsin 0:3 (3:11, 8:11, 9:11)
Marcos Freitas – Samuel Walker 3:1 (11:5, 5:11, 11:5, 11:5)
Kay Stumper – Feng Yi-Hsin 2:3 (11:6, 12:10, 8:11, 8:11, 1:11)
Ovidiu Ionescu/Marcos Freitas – Maciej Kubik/Martin Allegro 0:3 (6:11, 9:11, 6:11)

Monday, August 17
6:30 pm: SV Werder Bremen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell
7 pm: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen vs. TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt

Tuesday, August 18
6:30 pm: TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg vs. Borussia Düsseldorf
7 pm: TSV Bad Königshofen vs. ASC Grünwettersbach

All matches will be broadcast live on Dyn.

Header photo: 1. FC Saarbrücken TT's Eduard Ionescu (by Ulrich Höfer)