Fulda and Grenzau win in deciding doubles
Monday night delivered plenty of drama in the two Matchday 5 fixtures of the TTBL. Both Borussia Dortmund’s clash with TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell and TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau’s meeting with TSV Bad Königshofen went the full distance, with Fulda and Grenzau ultimately coming out on top. For Fulda in particular, a first victory in their fourth deciding doubles of the season provided an important morale boost.
The relief was written all over Ruwen Filus’ face after his team-mates won the deciding doubles. Fielded at No. 1, the defensive specialist could only watch as Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Fanbo Meng took to the table for the fourth time in the young season with the tie resting on the fifth and final match. “I’m proud of my team that we managed to win the doubles as well,” Filus told Dyn. “It’s our first Bundesliga match that we’ve won in the doubles — after three defeats.” Fulda had already ended their poor start to the season on Matchday 4 with a convincing 3–0 home victory over Grenzau.
Drama from the outset
The opening singles at the Brügmann-Sporthalle immediately set the tone for a thrilling evening. Ovtcharov fought back from 1–2 down against João Geraldo to put the visitors ahead with a five-set victory. Kristian Karlsson then pulled off the same feat against Filus, sending the teams into the break level at 1–1.
In the pivotal third singles, Dortmund newcomer Wim Verdonschot put the hosts 2–1 ahead. The young talent showed impressive composure against Meng, overturning a 7–10 deficit in the third set with the match level at 1–1 before going on to win in four. The 21-year-old now boasts an impressive record of four wins and just one defeat in his debut TTBL season.
Fulda finish in emphatic fashion
With their backs against the wall, however, Fulda raised their game and raced through the final two matches. “We managed to impose ourselves better towards the end,” said Filus, whose straight-sets victory over Geraldo forced the deciding doubles. There, Ovtcharov and Meng also denied Karlsson and Szudi a single set. Given the emphatic nature of the final two matches, Filus felt Fulda had “deserved to win”.
Pitchford impresses on TTBL return
Grenzau witnessed a TTBL comeback ten years in the making. Liam Pitchford had last played in Germany’s top division for TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen in 2016. After an injury delayed his return, the Englishman finally made his debut for TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau. “I haven’t played that many matches since the injury,” Pitchford told Dyn. “But I wanted to play in the Bundesliga again and take on this challenge.”
Against TSV Bad Königshofen on Monday night, the 33-year-old showed he was more than ready for his new role. Fielded at No. 1, Pitchford played two singles straight away — and promptly contributed two points to an important home victory for Zugbrücke. He beat both Liao Cheng-Ting and Bastian Steger 3–1 to lay the foundations for the win. “I surprised myself,” Pitchford admitted, describing it as his “best” performance “since coming back from the injury”.
Kubik and Allegro seal the victory
For the visitors from Bad Königshofen, Steger against Maciej Kubik and André Bertelsmeier against Martin Allegro both scored convincing 3–0 victories. While Kubik and Allegro had been unable to make an impact in their singles, the pair showed character and composure in the deciding doubles.
Trailing 1–2 in sets, the Pole and the Belgian fought back with the home crowd behind them to secure a memorable debut victory for their new team-mate. “I hope not every match is going to be this exciting,” Pitchford joked.
Standings: Fulda and Grenzau climb clear of the bottom
Fulda (sixth) and Grenzau (eighth) have both moved away from the bottom of the table and now stand on 4–6 points. TSV Bad Königshofen remain in the relegation zone, occupying second-bottom place with just two points from five matches. Despite their defeat, Dortmund stay third behind the leading duo of Ochsenhausen and Düsseldorf.
Matchday 5 concludes on Tuesday when Post SV Mühlhausen welcome record champions Borussia Düsseldorf. All TTBL matches are streamed live on Dyn.
Matchday 5 fixtures
BV Borussia 09 Dortmund – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 2–3
João Geraldo – Dimitrij Ovtcharov 2–3 (11–8, 5–11, 13–11, 7–11, 7–11)
Kristian Karlsson – Ruwen Filus 3–2 (6–11, 11–6, 8–11, 11–5, 11–5)
Wim Verdonschot – Fanbo Meng 3–1 (11–9, 9–11, 12–10, 11–8)
João Geraldo – Ruwen Filus 0–3 (7–11, 4–11, 10–12)
Szudi/Karlsson – Ovtcharov/Meng 0–3 (6–11, 8–11, 8–11)
TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – TSV Bad Königshofen 3–2
Liam Pitchford – Liao Cheng-Ting 3–1 (11–8, 11–7, 10–12, 11–6)
Maciej Kubik – Bastian Steger 0–3 (8–11, 5–11, 9–11)
Martin Allegro – André Bertelsmeier 0–3 (7–11, 5–11, 8–11)
Liam Pitchford – Bastian Steger 3–1 (11–5, 11–6, 8–11, 11–7)
Kubik/Allegro – Bertelsmeier/Habesohn 3–2 (11–8, 9–11, 9–11, 11–6, 12–10)
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT 3–0
Daniel Berzosa – Danilo Faso 3–2 (8–11, 8–11, 11–4, 11–4, 14–12)
Tiago Abiodun – Albert Vilardell 3–1 (10–12, 11–6, 12–10, 13–11)
Iulian Chirita – Samuel Arpas 3–0 (11–7, 11–8, 11–7)
SV Werder Bremen – ASC Grünwettersbach 2–3
Mattias Karlsson – Tobias Hippler 1–3 (11–7, 10–12, 7–11, 15–17)
Irvin Bertrand – Ricardo Walther 3–1 (11–7, 11–8, 10–12, 11–1)
Kirill Gerassimenko – Tom Jarvis 3–0 (11–8, 12–10, 11–9)
Mattias Karlsson – Ricardo Walther 1–3 (11–9, 9–11, 11–13, 8–11)
Irvin Bertrand/Kirill Gerassimenko – Tiago Apolónia/Tobias Hippler 1–3 (7–11, 9–11, 11–8, 9–11)
TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg 2–3
Benedikt Duda – Juan Perez 3–0 (11–7, 11–7, 11–1)
Cedric Meissner – Csaba Andras 2–3 (15–13, 11–13, 6–11, 11–5, 8–11)
Romain Ruiz – Finn Luu 3–1 (12–10, 7–11, 11–9, 11–5)
Benedikt Duda – Csaba Andras 0–3 (6–11, 10–12, 9–11)
Cedric Meissner/Adrien Rassenfosse – Benno Oehme/Ivor Ban 2–3 (8–11, 7–11, 11–1, 11–4, 10–12)
Tuesday, 22 September:
19:00: Post SV Mühlhausen – Borussia Düsseldorf
All matches are streamed live on Dyn.
Picture: Ruwen Filus of TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell (photo: BeLa Sportfoto).