Bundesliga

Borussia Düsseldorf have won their sixth TTBL match of the season, extending their perfect start to the campaign. For the headline clash against Borussia Dortmund, the record champions moved specially to the Castello Düsseldorf – partly because superstar Fan Zhendong was in action. The Chinese star contributed two points to Düsseldorf’s 3–1 victory, much to the delight of the large crowd.

With guest of honour and Düsseldorf club legend Timo Boll watching on, the record champions maintained their position at the top of the TTBL. Despite fielding their strongest possible line-up, however, victory in the Borussia derby was anything but straightforward. “A hard-fought 3–1 against Dortmund,” was Dang Qiu’s verdict at the Dyn microphone. Every match had been “high quality”, while Dortmund youngster Wim Verdonschot particularly impressed the Germany international. “Wim played fantastically,” Qiu said.

For BVB’s young star, appearing in front of 3,000 spectators at the Düsseldorf Castello was a special experience. “I don’t think I’ve ever played in front of 3,000 people before. It was unique,” the 21-year-old said. For Düsseldorf, it was already a third different home venue in their third home match. “It’s a special year with Fan’s transfer,” Qiu said of the unusual situation. “It makes sense for us to play elsewhere from time to time so that even more fans get the chance to see him live.”

Fan strikes first, Verdonschot responds

The fans got to see their superstar immediately in the opening singles as Fan Zhendong faced João Geraldo. The Portuguese player refused to abandon his usual approach against such a high-profile opponent. Geraldo played with his customary courage, but Fan’s serve-and-return game in particular proved too strong. Geraldo stayed close throughout all three sets, but Fan drew on all his experience to win in straight sets and put Borussia ahead.

Verdonschot then claimed BVB’s first point of the afternoon. Head coach Evgeny Fadeev rewarded his new signing’s strong start to the season – a 4–1 record – with his first appearance at No. 1. Against Kanak Jha, Verdonschot impressed particularly early in the match with a series of powerful backhands. “He had huge problems with my serve, so I wanted to take advantage of that,” Verdonschot explained. The American settled into the match and took the third set, but Verdonschot fended off his opponent’s comeback in the fourth. “I’m pretty happy that I managed to win the fourth set,” the Dortmund player said.

Qiu beats former team-mate as Verdonschot pushes Fan

After the break, two players who had spent many years as team-mates with the record champions went head to head. Kristian Karlsson has worn Dortmund’s black-and-yellow colours since last season and faced Qiu, who had recently triumphed at the WTT Star Contender in Astana. “Kristian played really well against me too,” Qiu said. “I actually came back from Astana with a lot of momentum and I’m in really good form.” After Karlsson took the opening set, Qiu won three in a row to secure the crucial second point for the hosts.

The evening concluded with the battle of the No. 1s. Fan made an impressive start, taking the first set convincingly 11–5. Verdonschot was not intimidated, however, winning many of the long and spectacular rallies before levelling at 1–1 with an 11–6 second set. An open battle developed from there, but Fan eventually prevailed in four sets to complete Düsseldorf’s 3–1 victory. Verdonschot was nevertheless proud of his performance against the Olympic champion. “I thought I played amazingly well. I couldn’t have played any better,” the BVB star said. “But it’s another dimension altogether.”

Düsseldorf top, Dortmund still on course

Borussia Düsseldorf therefore remain top of the TTBL after six matchdays. TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen, who are also still unbeaten, can keep pace when they visit Fulda on 24 October. Dortmund temporarily drop to fifth, but with a 6–6 record remain firmly in contention for the first play-off appearance in club history.

The TTBL now heads into a four-week autumn break for the WTT China Smash and the European Championships in Ljubljana. Matchday 6 resumes on 23 October with TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt against Post SV Mühlhausen. All TTBL matches are streamed live on Dyn.

Matchday 6 fixtures

Borussia Düsseldorf – Borussia Dortmund 3–1
Fan Zhendong – João Geraldo 3–0 (13–11, 12–10, 11–9)
Kanak Jha – Wim Verdonschot 1–3 (6–11, 5–11, 11–5, 10–12)
Dang Qiu – Kristian Karlsson 3–1 (9–11, 11–3, 12–10, 11–5)
Fan Zhendong – Wim Verdonschot 3–1 (11–5, 6–11, 11–7, 13–11)

ASC Grünwettersbach – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 2–3
Ricardo Walther – Martin Allegro 3–0 (11–9, 11–6, 11–9)
Tiago Apolonia – Liam Pitchford 0–3 (8–11, 5–11, 7–11)
Tom Jarvis – Maciej Kubik 3–1 (11–8, 11–13, 11–5, 11–8)
Ricardo Walther – Liam Pitchford 1–3 (6–11, 12–14, 12–10, 5–11)
Apolonia/Hippler – Kubik/Allegro 2–3 (12–14, 5–11, 12–10, 11–2, 9–11)

1. FC Saarbrücken TT – TSV Bad Königshofen 3–1
Hugo Calderano – Andre Bertelsmeier 3–0 (11–6, 11–5, 11–9)
Eduard Ionescu – Daniel Habesohn 3–2 (7–11, 11–6, 7–11, 11–4, 11–5)
Patrick Franziska – Bastian Steger 2–3 (9–11, 9–11, 11–5, 11–2, 8–11)
Hugo Calderano – Daniel Habesohn 3–0 (11–3, 11–5, 11–5)

Friday, 23 October:
19:00: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – Post SV Mühlhausen

Saturday, 24 October:
19:00: TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen

Monday, 2 November:
19:00: TTC OE Clarity-Tel.Syst.Bad Homburg – SV Werder Bremen

All matches are streamed live on Dyn.

Photo: Fan Zhendong of Borussia Düsseldorf (photo: Jörg Fuhrmann).