Düsseldorf in the Liebherr TTBL final: “Always small celebrations against Saarbrücken”

After the 3-0 win in the decisive third play-off semi-final against surprise semi-finalists TSV Bad Königshofen, defending champions Borussia Düsseldorf quickly turned their attention to the final. For the Rhinelanders, the Liebherr TTBL final on June 30 (Sunday/13:00 p.m./live on Dyn) in Frankfurt's Süwag Energie-ARENA against 1. FC Saarbrücken TT offers the opportunity for revenge for losing the Champions League final.

After the semi-final is before the final: After the 2:1 victory in the best-of-three series in the play-off semi-final against TSV Bad Königshofen, everyone at Borussia Düsseldorf breathed a sigh of relief, but thoughts quickly turned to the Liebherr TTBL final on June 30 (Sunday/13:00/live on Dyn) in Frankfurt's Süwag Energie ARENA against 1 FC Saarbrücken TT.

“We always enjoy playing against Saarbrücken. In this final, we will certainly have to play against the best Saarbrücken there is. But our matches against Saarbrücken have always been small celebrations for everyone,” said Düsseldorf's manager Andreas Preuß, looking ahead to the ‘Clasico’ of German table tennis and the simultaneous revenge for the two previous Champions League finals.

After two clear 3:0 victories in the final, which only appeared to be in jeopardy for the time being after the unexpected 3:1 defeat in game one in Bad Königshofen, Preuß saw Düsseldorf coach Danny Heister's team ready for the rematch of the three most recent Bundesliga finals to win their fourth title in a row. “We had a great response after the 1:3, showed great attitude and were very strong in terms of play. It showed that we're at a high level when we can prepare for a game in peace and focus and don't just have to sit in airplanes. I was also impressed by our spirit: everyone wanted to do it together.”

The team spirit was all the more important after the failed play-off opener. “We were worried that it might fly away from us at the wrong moment in Bad Königshofen, and then it blew up in our faces. It was a shock at the time, as was the sudden feeling of pressure before game two,” admitted Preuß.

Borussia star Timo Boll, who decided the entire matches in Düsseldorf's favor in the third singles in both home matches, had also not expected the full distance for the semi-final: “We were a bit surprised at how good Bad Königshofen's players were,” said the 43-year-old.

From Boll's point of view, the double home advantage for his team played an important role in the outcome of the series: “It helped that we were able to play games two and three at home. The playing conditions were as different as clay and grass in tennis, and everyone used their home court.”

The record European champion was also very satisfied on a personal level, not least because of the successful revenge for his defeat in match one against Jin Ueda. “I was tactically better, more precise, and after I was very annoyed about my wrong decisions in difficult situations in the first match, I always made the right decisions this time, but that always has to do with match practice for me,” Boll summed up.

Meanwhile, Bad Königshofen traveled back to Lower Franconia with their heads held high. “We're proud and we're going to celebrate,” announced managing director Andy Albert: “After the previous years, this season and our first semi-final were the next step forward for us.”

For his veteran Bastian Steger, however, a repeat of the play-off appearance next season is not a foregone conclusion. “It would certainly have been nice if our journey had taken us a little further, but the fact that we made it to the semi-finals and took three games from Düsseldorf is a great success for us. But it will be brutally difficult for us in an even stronger league, where anything is possible for us, both at the top and at the bottom,” said the former European Championship bronze medal winner.

Praise for the play-off newcomers also came from Preuß: “Bad Königshofen made it a great play-offs. They were real play-offs in which you felt at all times that there was a hell of a lot at stake.”

Florian Manzke

Featured image above: Patrick Franziska and Timo Boll (Photo: BeLa Sportfoto)