Giant duel in the Liebherr TTBL final 2024: Düsseldorf and Saarbrücken want the championship
The German Table Tennis League (TTBL) is ready for the showdown: Borussia Düsseldorf and 1. FC Saarbrücken TT, the two giants of European table tennis, will meet in the Liebherr TTBL final on June 30 and promise another duel at world-class level. An almost sold-out Süwag Energie ARENA Frankfurt awaits the fans for the decision on the German championship.
The giants' duel enters a new round: Borussia Düsseldorf and 1 FC Saarbrücken TT will battle for the German championship in the Liebherr TTBL final for the fourth time in a row. This will be the fifth major final between these two teams in a row in terms of the season and the competition. And yet it is difficult to pick a favorite ahead of the duel. Both teams promise sport at the absolute top level, as they are fielding the elite of European table tennis. German Olympians Timo Boll and Dang Qiu (both Düsseldorf) will be in Frankfurt, as will WTT Grand Smash finalist Patrick Franziska and Europe Top 16 winner Darko Jorgic (both Saarbrücken).
The Saarland team seems to have a slight edge ahead of the new clash. After Borussia won each of the last three Liebherr TTBL finals (3:1, 3:2, 3:1), FCS is considered to be slightly favored this year. At least that's what Andreas Preuß believes: "I see Saarbrücken as stronger this season than in previous years," says the Borussia manager, pointing to the progress made by Jorgic, the consistency of Franziska, the transfer of Yuto Muramatsu and the breadth of the FCS squad. "Saarbrücken have clearly been the better team so far this season," Preuß concludes.
Saarbrücken won the Champions League, Düsseldorf the cup
At least a look at the main round of the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) confirms this assessment: Saarbrücken took first place with a large lead over Düsseldorf - 34:6 points compared to 26:14 - and also won both the first and second legs 3:2. However, the triumph in the Champions League final was even more important. Saarbrücken also won 3:2 against Düsseldorf on Easter Monday and thus defended the TTCLM title. The Liebherr Cup final, on the other hand, had gone to Düsseldorf 3:0 in January.
"Overall, I don't think you can deduce from these two finals what will happen in the Liebherr TTBL final in Frankfurt," says FCS team manager Nicolas Barrois about the two teams' most recent duels. Should Saarbrücken lift the trophy on June 30, it would be the second German championship in the club's history after 2020. Düsseldorf has already celebrated the championship 33 times. "This is a completely new game under completely new conditions, especially as the line-ups are always a special factor," added Barrois ahead of the season highlight.
"Special final" due to Boll's farewell
A special focus will be on Timo Boll on June 30. The 43-year-old table tennis legend recently made headlines around the world when he announced the end of his career - internationally after the Olympics, nationally after the 2024/25 season - and now he will play what could be his last Liebherr TTBL final.
It is therefore a "special final match", says Preuß: "I'm slowly starting to enjoy every match he plays. But because it is not yet certain that we will reach another final next year, Frankfurt is special simply because it could be his last final for and with us. Of course, that's exactly what triggers special emotions, the team knows that, Timo knows that, and everyone will get stuck in."
The Liebherr TTBL final 2024 at a glance
All spectators who want to experience world-class table tennis live should make a note of June 30, 2024 and mark it in red in their calendar. Remaining tickets for the Liebherr TTBL Final are available in the official ticket store of the German Table Tennis League.
Here is an overview of the schedule for the top-class table tennis day:
· 11.30 am: Admission to the arena
· 1 pm: Start of the match 1. FC Saarbrücken TT – Borussia Düsseldorf
· After the final: Award ceremony Liebherr TTBL-Finale
All table tennis fans who cannot be at the Süwag Energie ARENA will have the opportunity to watch all matches of the Liebherr TTBL Final 2024 live and in full length on the stream from TTBL media partner Dyn. ZDF's main TV program will report on the event on the day of the event (from around 4.40 pm) in a summary lasting several minutes; Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR) will report on the Liebherr TTBL Final 2024 in its news broadcasts on Sunday evening and Hessischer Rundfunk (HR) in the hessenschau. Sport1 will also show a detailed summary of the table tennis highlight on the following day (01.07.2024, 20:00 to 21:00). The event can also be seen live and in various highlight formats on Dyn after the end of the match.
In 2024, well-known companies will once again be sponsoring the Liebherr TTBL Final, making a clear commitment to table tennis and the event taking place in the Süwag Energie ARENA. First and foremost in this context is the Liebherr Group, which is now entering its 12th year as title sponsor and namesake of the TTBL final, thus continuing the trusting and successful partnership. Well-known companies such as ARAG and Dyn are also involved at the main sponsor level and Donic is very close to the action as the official table and ball supplier. The partner pool is supplemented by Lotto Hessen, beverage partner Ensinger Mineral-Heilquellen, Sportland Hessen, Sportstadt Frankfurt am Main, Spielbank Wiesbaden, BCM. Best Customer Management, the hotel partner Leonardo Hotels, the media partners Radio Frankfurt and Frankfurter Neue Presse, the IT partner solitus, the ticket partner Reservix and the Hessian Table Tennis Association. Many thanks to all partners for their great support!