Clear thing for Bergneustadt
Successful start to the second half of the season for TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt: On Matchday 12 of the German Table Tennis League (TTBL), Benedikt Duda and Co. won 3:0 against TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau in their own hall.
With TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt and TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau, two table neighbors met directly in this trend-setting match. With 6:16 points each, both teams are in the middle of the fight against relegation. Bergneustadt had won the first leg 3:0 in mid-September. Nevertheless, Grenzau's manager Markus Ströher was counting on something: "We know that we can do better. We hope that we can improve on our performance and give Bergneustadt a tough fight. And maybe this time we will be rewarded for it."
Duda sets the tone
But Ströher's hopes were abruptly dashed: in the first singles match of the day, national player Benedikt Duda gave Grenzau's own youngster Tobias Sältzer no chance at all in his season debut. Patrick Baum and Samuel Walker were also unable to offer much in the way of Omar Assar and Romain Ruiz. Both only managed to win one set each.
Comments on the match
Omar Assar, TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt: "I am very, very happy that we won today. Everyone was one hundred percent focused. My tactics against Patrick were very good and I always tried to be active. Against Patrick, you can't afford to be passive."
Patrick Baum, TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau: "Unfortunately, Maciej Kubik was missing today due to illness. Of course, that made the task even harder. Nevertheless, we had our opportunities. But in the end it was a deserved victory for Bergneustadt. Against Omar, good rebounds are very important. Unfortunately, I didn't manage enough of those today."
On to Tuesday
Due to the Liebherr Pokal final, the other matches of the 12th matchday in the TTBL will not take place until the beginning of next week. On Tuesday, January 10, TTC Neu-Ulm will meet 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT and promoted team 1. FSV Mainz 05 will receive TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen. On Wednesday, January 11, league leader Borussia Düsseldorf will host SV Werder Bremen. All matches will be broadcast live on the Spontent channels on Twitch.
The 12th matchday in overview
TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 3:0
Benedikt Duda – Tobias Sältzer 3:0 (11:4, 11:8, 11:5)
Omar Assar – Patrick Baum 3:1 (11:8, 11:7, 5:11, 11:7)
Romain Ruiz – Samuel Walker 3:1 (8:11, 11:1, 11:4, 11:8)
TSV Bad Königshofen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 3:0
Bastian Steger - Qing Yu Meng 3:0 (13:11, 11:7, 12:10)
Kilian Ort - Alexandre Cassin 3:0 (11:8, 13:11, 11:2)
Filip Zeljko - Fan Bo Meng 3:1 (11:4, 9:11, 11:7, 11;7)
ASV Grünwettersbach – Post SV Mühlhausen 2:3
Ricardo Walther – Ovidiu Ionescu 3:2 (7:11, 9:11, 11:9, 11:5, 11:8)
Deni Kozul – Daniel Habesohn 1:3 (11:8, 6:11, 11:13, 8:11)
Xi Wang – Steffen Mengel 2:3 (11:7, 8:11, 13:11, 6:11, 4:11)
Ricardo Walther – Daniel Habesohn 3:1 (11:3, 11:6, 8:11, 11:5)
Deni Kozul/Tiago Apolonia – Ovidiu Ionescu/Steffen Mengel 1:3 (11:8, 7:11, 10:12, 5:11)
Tuesday, January 10
7 p.m.: TTC Neu-Ulm – 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT
8 p.m.: 1. FSV Mainz 05 – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen
Wednesday, January 11
7 p.m.: SV Werder Bremen – Borussia Düsseldorf