Dortmund beat Ochsenhausen – setbacks for Fulda and Bad Homburg

Borussia Dortmund made a statement at the start of Matchday 8 in the TTBL, cruising to a 3–0 victory over TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen. BVB ended their run of three consecutive defeats, while the Swabians suffered a second straight loss after their perfect start to the season. In the Hesse-Franconia derby, TSV Bad Königshofen claimed a crucial 3–2 win in Fulda. Bad Homburg, meanwhile, suffered a setback as TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme lost 1–3 at home to Post SV Mühlhausen.

The signs were not necessarily favourable for BVB. After three consecutive defeats, the Black and Yellows faced second-placed Ochsenhausen, who had star player Shunsuke Togami back in the line-up. Dortmund, meanwhile, were once again without Anders Lind and Kristian Karlsson. One source of encouragement was the memory of last season, when BVB had won both meetings with TTF. Head coach Evgeny Fadeev was also pleased with the response to Wednesday’s disappointing 0–3 defeat in Bremen. “The Bremen match was an unpleasant one. But afterwards I could see that all my players were very disappointed,” Fadeev told Dyn. “We talked a lot and trained hard, and today we saw the consequences of that.”

Wim Verdonschot took the first step. The 21-year-old edged Tiago Abiodun in a hard-fought five-set match to put the hosts ahead. Adam Szudi then produced the biggest surprise of the evening: in his first TTBL singles appearance of the season, the Hungarian also beat Togami in five sets. “Adam Szudi gave us the most important win, we have to be honest about that,” Fadeev said. “His first singles match of the season and he beats perhaps the best player in the TTBL.”

After the break, Dortmund gave Ochsenhausen no way back. João Geraldo beat Iulian Chirita 3–1 to complete the surprisingly emphatic 3–0 victory. BVB therefore bounced back impressively after three straight defeats. Ochsenhausen remain second for the time being despite losing twice in succession, but could be overtaken by 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT on Sunday. Dortmund’s personnel situation could also improve for their next match against Mühlhausen. “There’s a good chance Anders will be back,” Fadeev said of Lind.

Bad Königshofen grab a lifeline

TSV Bad Königshofen desperately needed points in the Hesse-Franconia derby. The Lower Franconians had not won since Matchday 3, but finally turned things around in Fulda. Dimitrij Ovtcharov initially put the hosts ahead with a 3–1 win over Daniel Habesohn before Filip Željko levelled by beating Ruwen Filus 3–1. “There was a surprise: Filip had never beaten Ruwen before,” Habesohn said. Jonathan Groth restored Fulda’s lead against Bastian Steger, but Željko then also beat Ovtcharov in five sets to force the deciding doubles.

Habesohn and Steger prevailed 3–1 against Groth/Fanbo Meng. “We knew it was an open match in which we might have been slight favourites,” Habesohn explained. “Even so, it’s always difficult against two left-handers because they have an advantage on serve. We managed to neutralise that and were better in the longer rallies.” For Fulda, it was already their fifth defeat of the season in the deciding doubles.

Bad Königshofen remain bottom of the table, but with four points they have moved back within touching distance of their rivals. “It was the lifeline we needed because we were already pretty far underwater,” Habesohn said. “We had opportunities in previous matches that we didn’t take. This gives us strength and energy.”

Mühlhausen end Bad Homburg’s strong run

Bad Homburg had entered the matchday in fifth place after their surprise victory in Ochsenhausen, but against Mühlhausen they were missing the final few per cent in the decisive moments. The first two singles were particularly painful. Csaba Andras, who entered the evening as the TTBL’s top-ranked player with an 11–2 record, lost in five sets to Ovidiu Ionescu. Ivor Ban then had several chances to level the tie against Kay Stumper but was also beaten in the decider.

“It’s a little disappointing, but it simply wasn’t enough,” TTC head coach Slobodan Grujić said. “Then we hoped Ivor could bring us back into the match, but unfortunately he didn’t convert his four match points. Maybe we were missing that little bit of luck in those two matches.”

Juan Perez kept the Hesse side alive with a five-set victory over Marcos Freitas, but the comeback never materialised. Stumper beat Andras 3–1 to seal the away win. “We lost the match on the mental side,” Grujić analysed. He refused to blame his leading player despite Andras’ two defeats. “Csaba tried, but today just wasn’t his day. He has played very well for us so far.”

The victory sees Mühlhausen move above Bad Homburg in the standings into sixth place, while the Hesse side drop to seventh.

The rest of Matchday 8 takes place on Sunday. At 14:00, record champions Borussia Düsseldorf host ASC Grünwettersbach, before TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt face SV Werder Bremen at 15:30. The day concludes at 17:00, when TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau challenge defending champions 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT at the Joachim Deckarm Halle. All matches are streamed live on Dyn.

Matchday 8 fixtures

Borussia Dortmund – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 3–0
Wim Verdonschot – Tiago Abiodun 3–2 (11–5, 12–14, 11–8, 11–13, 11–5)
Adam Szudi – Shunsuke Togami 3–2 (11–5, 9–11, 11–3, 7–11, 12–10)
João Geraldo – Iulian Chirita 3–1 (12–10, 6–11, 11–7, 11–9)

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – TSV Bad Königshofen 2–3
Dimitrij Ovtcharov – Daniel Habesohn 3–1 (12–10, 3–11, 11–6, 12–10)
Ruwen Filus – Filip Željko 1–3 (11–8, 11–13, 5–11, 10–12)
Jonathan Groth – Bastian Steger 3–1 (11–5, 8–11, 11–6, 11–9)
Dimitrij Ovtcharov – Filip Željko 2–3 (12–14, 11–3, 11–8, 9–11, 7–11)
Groth/Meng – Habesohn/Steger 1–3 (12–10, 7–11, 10–12, 6–11)

TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg – Post SV Mühlhausen 1–3
Csaba Andras – Ovidiu Ionescu 2–3 (11–6, 8–11, 11–6, 6–11, 8–11)
Ivor Ban – Kay Stumper 2–3 (3–11, 11–6, 6–11, 11–9, 12–14)
Juan Perez – Marcos Freitas 3–2 (7–11, 9–11, 11–7, 11–5, 11–4)
Csaba Andras – Kay Stumper 1–3 (11–5, 6–11, 12–14, 11–13)

Sunday, 15 November:
14:00: Borussia Düsseldorf – ASC Grünwettersbach
15:30: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – SV Werder Bremen
17:00: 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau

All matches are streamed live on Dyn.

Photo: Borussia Dortmund (photo: BeLa Sportfoto).