Grenzau climb off the bottom

TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau climbed off the foot of the table on Matchday 17 in the TTBL after a dramatic 3–2 away win at Post SV Mühlhausen, boosting their hopes in the relegation battle. Nerves of steel from Feng Yi-Hsin, who won two matches in five sets, proved decisive. Mühlhausen missed the chance to create further breathing space, but remain in a solid position in eighth place.

After Sunday night’s thriller, TTC manager Markus Ströher could hardly hide his relief. “Hooray, we’re still alive,” he said after Grenzau’s crucial win in Mühlhausen. It was a victory built on belief, despite plenty of deficits during the match and – as Ströher revealed – major travel strain. “I can only pay a huge compliment to the whole team – including Feng, who landed from India this morning at 07:55,” the manager explained. With the 3–2 win, Grenzau overtook ASC Grünwettersbach and handed over the “red lantern” at the bottom of the table.

Grünwettersbach had thrown away a 2–0 lead for the second time in a matter of days on Saturday and again came away empty-handed on Matchday 17. “Yesterday it was Grünwettersbach who were in a position to win, and they lose in the end. In every respect, it was a lucky weekend,” Ströher said. “This is a win that gives us a bit of breathing room. We have a good run-in, but everyone can beat everyone.” Still, the thought of a possible direct showdown on the final matchday for last place against the Karlsruhe side did not appeal to him: “Today was enough for me.”

Feng wins twice in the decider

Grenzau’s win was only possible because they stayed calm under pressure. All three points came after losing a set: Feng Yi-Hsin fought back from 1–2 down against Ovidiu Ionescu and even turned the tables from 0–2 in sets against Kay Stumper. In the decisive doubles, Maciej Kubik and Martin Allegro dropped the opening set but then sealed it in four sets against the Post pair Ionescu/Marcos Freitas.

For Mühlhausen, it was the opposite story. “The problem today was that we didn’t see our leads through,” Stumper complained to Dyn after the match. “Ovi in his singles, me in my second match, and now in the doubles as well.” From the Post SV perspective, the evening had started positively: Stumper edged Kubik 11–9 in the fifth set in a tight opener. The only straightforward singles win for the hosts came from Freitas, who beat Allegro 3–0.

In the table, Mühlhausen remain eighth on 14 points. With five matches left, a win would have been a small step towards safety – now the Thuringians still have to keep looking over their shoulder. “Of course we’re trying to pick up as many points as possible. A win today would have made things very worry-free,” Stumper said.

Matchday 17 fixtures

Post SV Mühlhausen – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 2–3
Kay Stumper – Maciej Kubik 3–2 (8–11, 11–6, 11–8, 9–11, 11–9)
Ovidiu Ionescu – Feng Yi-Hsin 2–3 (11–9, 8–11, 11–1, 6–11, 4–11)
Marcos Freitas – Martin Allegro 3–0 (12–10, 11–9, 11–6)
Kay Stumper – Feng Yi-Hsin 2–3 (11–6, 11–9, 6–11, 8–11, 8–11)
Ionescu/Freitas – Kubik/Allegro 1–3 (11–7, 5–11, 9–11, 7–11)

TSV Bad Königshofen – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 1–3
Bastian Steger – Andreas Levenko 3–0 (13–11, 11–2, 11–4)
Daniel Habesohn – Shunsuke Togami 1–3 (7–11, 11–13, 11–9, 4–11)
Filip Željko – Iulian Chirita 2–3 (12–10, 7–11, 11–5, 4–11, 8–11)
Bastian Steger – Shunsuke Togami 1–3 (10–12, 4–11, 12–10, 9–11)

Borussia Düsseldorf – 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT 3–2
Kanak Jha – Fan Zhendong 1–3 (11–6, 8–11, 6–11, 9–11)
Dang Qiu – Patrick Franziska 1–3 (8–11, 4–11, 11–3, 6–11)
Anton Källberg – Cedric Meissner 3–0 (14–12, 11–8, 11–7)
Kanak Jha – Patrick Franziska 3–1 (11–4, 14–16, 11–4, 11–9)
Qiu/Källberg – Meissner/Fan Zhendong 3–1 (12–10, 11–7, 7–11, 11–8)

ASC Grünwettersbach – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 2–3
Hiroto Shinozuka – Fanbo Meng 3–0 (11–9, 11–4, 11–7)
Tiago Apolonia – Ruwen Filus 3–1 (11–6, 12–14, 11–6, 13–11)
Tom Jarvis – Jonathan Groth 1–3 (8–11, 9–11, 11–4, 5–11)
Hiroto Shinozuka – Ruwen Filus 2–3 (11–7, 7–11, 7–11, 11–5, 7–11)
Walther/Apolonia – Meng/Groth 0–3 (7–11, 9–11, 7–11)

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – SV Werder Bremen 3–2
Benedikt Duda – Irvin Bertrand 3–1 (11–8, 8–11, 11–3, 11–8)
Adrien Rassenfosse – Mattias Falck 1–3 (11–8, 10–12, 11–13, 7–11)
Leo de Nodrest – Kirill Gerassimenko 1–3 (6–11, 11–8, 5–11, 6–11)
Benedikt Duda – Mattias Falck 3–1 (13–15, 23–21, 11–9, 11–5)
de Nodrest/Rassenfosse – Gerassimenko/Bertrand 3–0 (11–7, 11–8, 11–9)

Monday, 16 February:
7:00 pm: TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg – Borussia Dortmund

Picture: Feng Yi-Hsin of TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau (Photo: Ulrich Höfer)