Bundesliga

TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg and Borussia Düsseldorf claimed crucial wins in the TTBL endgame on Matchday 19. With their second victory over 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT this season, Bad Homburg moved to the brink of safety, while Saarbrücken’s 2–3 defeat still sealed their play-off place mathematically. Düsseldorf beat Bad Königshofen 3–1 at the ARAG Centercourt and now head into Friday’s top-of-the-table clash at SV Werder Bremen as league leaders.

Saarbrücken severely depleted

A quick look at the team sheet early on hinted that what should have been a one-sided match between Bad Homburg and Saarbrücken might turn into a tight contest. Three key players were missing for the cup winners: Fan Zhendong, Darko Jorgic and Eduard Ionescu were all unavailable, leaving Patrick Franziska as the only regular starter in Saarbrücken’s line-up.

“We have agreements with the players before the season,” team manager Nicolas Barrois explained to Dyn. “It was clear that the World Cup in China starts on Monday. Darko, Eddy and Franz all said early on that they wanted to travel out in good time.” It had also been agreed that Fan would not feature against TTC. To make matters worse, Japan’s Yuto Muramatsu suffered an injury in the final training session the day before the match. As a result, Slovak teenager Samuel Arpas was drafted in from the club’s second team.

Five-set drama at the start

With the new set-up, the evening began in spectacular fashion. The first three singles all went the distance and delivered a dramatic storyline for the crowd at the Wingert Sporthalle. Cedric Meissner put Saarbrücken in front by overturning a 1–2 deficit against Csaba Andras and clinching the decider 11–9.

The fifth set between Ivor Ban and Franziska was even tighter. After Franziska won the fourth set convincingly, he raced into a 4–0 lead in the decider. Ban fought back immediately and looked the likely winner at 10–7. Franziska saved three match points in a row to force extra points. There, the pair traded chances again: Franziska missed two match points of his own before Ban finally converted his fifth.

After the break, Arpas stepped in against Bad Homburg’s top player Jo Yokotani. The 18-year-old resisted impressively, taking the first set 16–14, but Yokotani took control thereafter. Even so, the Japanese still had to go the long way in five sets to put his club 2–1 up overall.

TTC doubles prove decisive

In the fourth and final singles, Franziska responded with a clear four-set win over Andras in the battle of the No. 1s, sending the tie into the deciding doubles: Ban/Yokotani against Meissner/Arpas. Doubles specialist Ban emerged as the matchwinner there, something Franziska acknowledged openly. “Ivor Ban was outstanding, the way you know him here in Bad Homburg,” Franziska said. “The doubles was really impressive.”

Bad Homburg close to safety, Saarbrücken safely in the play-offs

Even though Saarbrücken had hoped for a win, both teams moved a step closer to their season objectives. Because Saarbrücken did not lose 0–3, their cushion to the non-play-off places is now mathematically large enough to plan safely for the Liebherr TTBL Final Four. Bad Homburg’s lead over bottom spot — the only relegation position — stands at six points with three matches left. One more TTC win, or a defeat for ASC Grünwettersbach, would confirm survival.

Helmut Hampl was not ready to celebrate yet. “In theory, anything is possible,” the coaching legend said. “Let’s see how it goes.” He was more open when talking about his own future and that of the club. “There will be a new coach,” Hampl announced. He will then become sporting director, and in that role he plans to “set people up tactically well”. Ban’s future, too, is expected to be settled soon. “I assume he’ll sign the contract tomorrow,” Hampl said.

Jha the matchwinner for Düsseldorf

With Dang Qiu absent, Kanak Jha carried the load for Borussia Düsseldorf. Fielded at No. 1, head coach Danny Heister hoped for two points from the American — and got them. Jha won in four sets both against André Bertelsmeier in the opener and against Bastian Steger in the final singles, improving his TTBL record to 16–7.

“I led 2–0 both times,” Jha said at the Dyn microphone, pointing out the parallels in his two wins. “They almost forced a fifth set. Especially against Basti Steger it was tough. He has so much experience — he’s really a legend of this sport.” Steger pushed the fourth set into extra points, but Jha held his nerve and closed it out 12–10.

Källberg too solid for newly shaven Željko

After Jha’s opening win, Steger was immediately under pressure against Li Yongyin. The two produced a high-quality match: Steger took the first set 15–13, but then twice failed to match his opponent’s tempo. At 1–2 down, the veteran adjusted, played with more margin and ultimately edged the match in five sets.

After the break, Anton Källberg faced Filip Željko. The Croatian never found his rhythm in the straight-sets defeat and became visibly more frustrated as the match went on. Early on, Željko provided an unexpected talking point with a new look: he had shaved his head and appeared noticeably more streamlined, as the commentary team noted. The first outing with the new hairstyle, however, ended without success.

Düsseldorf and Bad Königshofen face defining matches

The table picture remains unchanged. Düsseldorf stayed top on Matchday 19 and can take a big step towards first place in the regular season with a direct showdown at Werder Bremen on Friday. Jha made clear that Borussia’s ambitions go beyond that. “The goal is definitely to win titles — that’s why I signed in Düsseldorf,” he said. “In the Champions League it’s harder, but we have a good chance if everyone is in form.”

Bad Königshofen, meanwhile, face a defining relegation clash on Sunday: bottom club ASC Grünwettersbach travel to Lower Franconia. A TSV win would all but secure survival; defeat, two matchdays from the end, would mean dropping to last place. With TSV Windsbach applying for a TTBL licence, finishing bottom could bring relegation.

“We want to win. Our remaining schedule is obviously tough, but none of the top four teams are in it,” Bertelsmeier said. “So we can go into the next matches with our heads up. We can and want to win every match. Sunday is a small final. Whoever wins has the better position.”

Matchday 19 fixtures

ASC Grünwettersbach – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 0:3
Tom Jarvis – Leonardo Iizuka 2:3 (9:11, 7:11, 11:5, 11:8, 11:13)
Ricardo Walther – Andreas Levenko 1:3 (11:5, 8:11, 7:11, 6:11)
Tiago Apolonia – Iulian Chirita 1:3 (16:14, 9:11, 4:11, 7:11)

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 2:3
Ruwen Filus – Luka Mladenovic 2:3 (11:8, 11:8, 8:11, 8:11, 7:11)
Fanbo Meng – Feng Yi-Hsin 3:0 (11:6, 11:9, 11:5)
Jonathan Groth – Martin Allegro 3:2 (13:15, 11:4, 11:9, 6:11, 18:16)
Ruwen Filus – Feng Yi-Hsin 0:3 (6:11, 7:11, 8:11)
Fanbo Meng/Jonathan Groth – Luka Mladenovic/Martin Allegro 2:3 (11:3, 5:11, 9:11, 11:9, 6:11)

Post SV Mühlhausen – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt 1:3
Marcos Freitas – Romain Ruiz 2:3 (11:5, 11:8, 8:11, 9:11, 7:11)
Liao Cheng-Ting – Benedikt Duda 1:3 (4:11, 6:11, 11:7, 4:11)
Ovidiu Ionescu – Leo de Nodrest 3:0 (12:10, 11:9, 11:6)
Marcos Freitas – Benedikt Duda 1:3 (6:11, 11:9, 4:11, 9:11)

Borussia Dortmund – SV Werder Bremen 0:3
Kristian Karlsson – Irvin Bertrand 2:3 (11:6, 10:12, 11:3, 7:11, 5:11)
Adam Szudi – Kirill Gerassimenko 2:3 (11:6, 11:8, 5:11, 9:11, 5:11)
Alberto Miño – Mattias Falck 1:3 (11:8, 7:11, 7:11, 8:11)

Borussia Düsseldorf – TSV Bad Königshofen 3:1
Kanak Jha – André Bertelsmeier 3:1 (11:5, 11:7, 6:11, 11:7)
Li Yongyin – Bastian Steger 2:3 (13:15, 11:3, 11:9, 7:11, 8:11)
Anton Källberg – Filip Željko 3:0 (11:9, 11:4, 11:6)
Kanak Jha – Bastian Steger 3:1 (11:5, 11:8, 6:11, 12:10)

TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg – 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT 3:2
Csaba Andras – Cedric Meissner 2:3 (9:11, 11:8, 11:8, 6:11, 9:11)
Ivor Ban – Patrick Franziska 3:2 (6:11, 11:8, 11:9, 3:11, 16:14)
Jo Yokotani – Samuel Arpas 3:2 (14:16, 11:8, 11:3, 11:13, 11:7)
Csaba Andras – Patrick Franziska 1:3 (8:11, 11:5, 8:11, 2:11)
Ban/Yokotani – Meissner/Arpas 3:0 (12:10, 11:7, 11:6)

All matches are streamed live on Dyn.

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