Bad Königshofen beats Fulda-Maberzell and draws level on points with the Hessians
TSV Bad Königshofen put in an impressive performance in front of their home crowd to secure a 3:2 win against TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell in the German Table Tennis League (TTBL). The victory for the team of coach Koji Itagaki was not only a successful revenge for the 1:3 defeat in the first leg, but also an important step in the fight for the play-offs.
Dimitrij Ovtcharov underlined his class right at the start of the match and set the first exclamation mark with a 3:1 win against Jin Ueda. The opening set was very close at 15:13, and Ueda was also able to keep the second set close at 13:11. However, Ovtcharov kept his composure and dominated the last two sets (11:3, 11:8) to give Fulda a 1:0 lead.
Zeljko fights back against Meng
In the second singles match of the evening, Filip Zeljko showed nerves of steel and stamina against Fanbo Meng. After a strong start (11:4), the Croatian lost the thread and allowed Meng to take a 2:1 lead. However, Zeljko remained focused and turned the match around to win 3:2 (11:4, 13:15, 7:11, 11:4, 11:8). He thus brought TSV back into the match.
In the third singles match, the experienced defensive specialist Ruwen Filus faced the Belgian Martin Allegro. Despite a spirited effort, Allegro was defeated by Filus' varied style of play. With 11:6, 11:9 and 11:7, Filus confidently secured the second point for his team and put Fulda back in front.
The pressure was now back on Jin Ueda, who took on Fanbo Meng in the fourth game. With a surprisingly clear 3:0 (11:6, 11:7, 11:8), he gave his team the equalizer again and forced the deciding double.
Final doubles with a surprise
Fulda surprised everyone in the final doubles match by fielding 16-year-old Taiwanese player Hsien-Chia Hsu, who played alongside Dimitrij Ovtcharov.The youngster showed courage and promising approaches, but the well-practiced pairing of Filip Zeljko and Martin Allegro proved to be more ruthless in the decisive moments.After a weak phase in the second set and fending off two set points in the third, Zeljko and Allegro won 3:1 (11:5, 6:11, 13:11, 11:5) and secured Bad Königshofen a highly acclaimed home victory.
With this victory, Bad Königshofen moved closer to the top places and is now level on points with Fulda and Ochsenhausen. Filip Zeljko was the match winner of the evening with two points - in singles and doubles.For Fulda, on the other hand, the defeat was a setback, even if the courageous performance of youngster Hsien-Chia Hsu was a positive sign.
Comments on the game:
Tomasz Kasica (TSV Bad Königshofen):
“Of course it played into our hands today that Kao wasn't there for Fulda.With Dima Ovtcharov, who has always been victorious this season, Fulda has a high quality and Ruwen Filus and Fanbo Meng are also outstanding players. Also a big compliment to Hsien-Chia Hsu, who played unbelievably.It's a sensational and well-deserved win for us today and a great team performance.”
Fanbo Meng (TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell):
“Today was unfortunately a bit annoying. Dima wasn't at his best, so we didn't know exactly how to line up. I had my chances in my first game and led 2:1. But then the game turned and Bad Königshofen got back into the game. We congratulate Bad Königshofen on their victory.”
Overview of the 12th matchday
TSV Bad Königshofen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 3:2
Jin Ueda - Dimitrij Ovtcharov 1:3 (13:15, 13:11, 3:11, 8:11)
Filip Zeljko - Fanbo Meng 3:2 (11:4, 13:15, 7:11, 11:4, 11:8)
Martin Allegro - Ruwen Filus 0:3 (6:11, 9:11, 7:11)
Jin Ueda - Fanbo Meng 3:0 (11:6, 11:7, 11:8)
Filip Zeljko/Martin Allegro - Hsien-Chia Hsu/Dimitrij Ovtcharov 3:1 (11:5, 6:11, 13:11, 11:5)
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 3:1
Shunsuke Togami - Darko Jorgic 3:2 (12:10, 11:4, 9:11, 9:11, 11:8)
Tiago Abiodun - Eduard Ionescu 1:3 (13:15, 11:5, 4:11, 6:11)
Simon Gauzy - Patrick Franziska 3:2 (11:7, 8:11, 11:6, 7:11, 11:6)
Shunsuke Togami - Eduard Ionescu 3:0 (11:9, 11:6, 12:10)
Borussia Düsseldorf – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt 1:3
Kay Stumper - Romain Ruiz 1:3 (3:11, 2:11, 11:8, 3:11)
Dang Qiu - Kanak Jha 3:2 (4:11, 9:11, 11:2, 11:7, 11:4)
Timo Boll - Adrien Rassenfosse 1:3 (10:12, 11:5, 14:16, 6:11)
Kay Stumper - Kanak Jha 1:3 (11:9, 7:11, 10:12, 7:11)
TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – ASC Grünwettersbach 2:3
Feng Yi-Hsin – Yan-Cheng Huang 3:0 (12:10, 12:10, 11:7)
Luka Mladenovic – Tiago Apolonia 2:3 (8:11, 4:11, 11:9, 11:8, 10:12)
Patrick Baum – Ricardo Walther 0:3 (10:12, 10:12, 1:11)
Feng Yi-Hsin – Leo de Nodrest 3:1 (7:11, 12:10, 11:4, 11:7)
Patrick Baum/Luka Mladenovic – Ricardo Walther/Leo de Nodrest 1:3 (10:12, 6:11, 11:7, 9:11)
Monday, January 06
7 p.m.: Post SV Mühlhausen - SV Werder Bremen
Saturday, January 11
3.30 pm: TTC OE Bad Homburg - BV Borussia Dortmund
All TTBL matches will be broadcast live and on demand on Dyn.
Feature picture above: Filip Zeljko from TSV Bad Königshofen (Photo: TSV Bad Königshofen)