Bundesliga

That was not for the faint-hearted. Both SV Werder Bremen against TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell and TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen against TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt delivered a genuine table tennis thriller lasting over three hours. In both matches, the outcome was only decided in the doubles.

SV Werder Bremen started the new season without any transfer moves, the only difference being that Mattias Falck became Mattias Karlsson. However, he only came into action after the break. Kirill Gerassimenko got things underway against Fanbo Meng. The Kazakh won clearly 3:0, partly because Meng failed to close out the first set.

Before the break, Dimitrij Ovtcharov levelled the tie against Irvin Bertrand. Here too it ended 3:0, with only the third set being closely fought. As Bertrand later revealed on the Dyn microphone, it was his first competitive match after a long break.

Two Ovtcharov wins aren't enough

After the break, Mattias Karlsson and Jonathan Groth faced off in a duel of Northern Europeans, both of whom could easily have been fielded at position one given their playing strength. It was the tightly contested match everyone expected, with Karlsson ultimately prevailing in five sets. The individual sets, apart from set three (12:10 for Karlsson), were fairly clear-cut.

Dimitrij Ovtcharov set up the doubles showdown with his second singles win of the day (3:1 over Gerassimenko). There, new signing Andrei Istrate took to the table for Fulda. Last season the Romanian played for Wiener Neustadt, where he had the best record of any player in the Austrian league. Playing doubles alongside Groth, he immediately won the first set against Bertrand/Karlsson.

"It was very stressful for me, especially in the doubles. I was able to improve as it went on — I started weakly and kept gaining confidence," said Bertrand. Karlsson/Bertrand (3:1 record last season) turned the match around and kept the points at home. Fulda had envisioned this opener differently. Dimitrij Ovtcharov: "Table tennis is a team sport. I'm sad that we lost. We wanted to start the season 4:0. Next week we want to make up for it."

Ochsenhausen wins with their backs against the wall

In Baden-Württemberg too — at the other end of Germany from Bremen's perspective — spectators got their money's worth. It was, in a way, also the match of Tiago Abiodun's comeback. In the end, the young Portuguese player could celebrate together with his teammate Iulian Chirita.

Top player Shunsuke Togami paved the way, beating Adrien Rassenfosse comfortably 3:0. Not a single set got close (11:5, 11:5, 11:6). Benedikt Duda then had a tougher time in the first of his two five-set matches. For a long while it looked like an easy 3:0 win for the German international. But Abiodun saved match points in the third set and forced a fifth set. There he came back from 6:9 to 8:9. This time, though, Duda didn't need a second invitation and converted his first match point in the decider.

Bergneustadt let the doubles slip away

After the break, Ruiz put the Schwalben ahead with a 3:1 win over Chirita. Togami then levelled things up against Duda in five sets. Benedikt Duda described the match as an "emotional rollercoaster" in his post-match interview and was unhappy with his own performance: "I know I can play significantly better."

In the doubles, Cedric Meissner made his competitive debut for Bergneustadt. Alongside Romain Ruiz, he got off to a good start (11:7, 11:7). Everything pointed to a perfect debut, but then Chirita/Abiodun spoiled it. "We were better across four sets and still lose. Ochsenhausen's mentality was remarkable," Benedikt Duda had to graciously acknowledge the home side's victory.

For Ochsenhausen's coach Bogdan Pugna, the key to victory wasn't found at the table alone. "Our fans' support was very important today in winning this match. It was a great fight!" said the Romanian. "But we shouldn't overrate the win either."

Matchday 1 continues tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18. Two more ties are on the schedule: from 6:30 p.m., TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg host Borussia Düsseldorf, and at 7 p.m. ASC Grünwettersbach coach Kilian Ort returns to his former club, Bad Königshofen.

Matchday #1 at a glance

SV Werder Bremen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 3:2
Kirill Gerassimenko – Fanbo Meng 3:0 (14:12, 11:4, 11:8)
Irvin Bertrand – Dimitrij Ovtcharov 0:3 (7:11, 2:11, 10:12)
Mattias Karlsson – Jonathan Groth 3:2 (11:3, 6:11, 12:10, 7:11, 11:3)
Gerassimenko – Ovtcharov 1:3 (5:11, 13:11, 3:11, 7:11)
Bertrand/Karlsson – Groth/Istrate 3:1 (6:11, 11:6, 11:8, 11:5)

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt 3:2
Shunsuke Togami – Adrien Rassenfosse 3:0 (11:5, 11:5, 11:6)
Tiago Abiodun – Benedikt Duda 2:3 (6:11, 7:11, 15:13, 11:5, 8:11)
Iulian Chirita – Romain Ruiz 1:3 (7:11, 7:11, 11:5, 7:11)
Togami – Duda 3:2 (11:6, 9:11, 11:7, 2:11, 11:6)
Chirita/Abiodun – Ruiz/Meissner 3:2 (7:11, 7:11, 12:10, 11:9, 11:8)

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)

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

All matches will be broadcast live on Dyn.

Photo: Shunsuke Togami (TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen) by Vinzez Bendel.