Grünwettersbach doesn't give Fulda a chance
In the second match of the new season of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), ASV Grünwettersbach celebrated a clear success. The team from Baden won 3-0 against TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell in a fast-paced match on Saturday.
The new season in the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) is picking up speed: One day after the opening match in Bremen, the 1st matchday of the 2023/24 season continued at ASV Grünwettersbach. Last year's fifth-placed team celebrated a clear 3-0 win against TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell on Saturday evening, confirming the home strength shown in the previous season.
However, Fulda had to make the trip to Baden with a decimated squad. Wong Chun Ting was absent due to preparations for the Asian Games, which start in Hangzhou (China) at the end of September. For the Hong Kong Chinese, coach Qing Yu Meng went into the box and was lost in the opening singles against Wang Xi. Wang, who had played for Fulda from 2008 to 2019 and was German runner-up three times with the TTC, among others, made it clear as expected with 3-0 (11-6, 11-1, 11-5) and put Grünwettersbach in the lead.
Walther decides the match against Filus
Tiago Apolonia and Ricardo Walther left only two sets to their opponents. Apolonia won 3-1 (11-7, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9) against Fanbo Meng, Walther 3-1 (11-5, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8) against Ruwen Filus. Walther thus continued his winning streak from the previous season, when he strung together 15 victories. After about 100 minutes, the match was decided in favor of ASV.
"I think all in all our victory was deserved," Walther stated afterwards. "Ruwen played well and made life difficult for me. In the end, it was a close game, so I'm very happy about our 3-0 win." Filus said, "Unfortunately, the little bit of luck was not on our side. But all in all, Grünwettersbach deserved to win. We have to quickly tick off the game now and get the fresh start on Tuesday against Bremen."
Home games for Bergneustadt and Düsseldorf on Sunday
The table tennis Bundesliga continues on Sunday: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt welcomes 1. FC Saarbrücken TT at 1pm, before the top match between Borussia Düsseldorf and TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen starts at 4pm. Finally, the 1st match day will be concluded on Monday evening with the match between TSV Bad Königshofen and TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau. These three and all other TTBL matches will be broadcast live and exclusively on Dyn.
Match day #1 at a glance
SV Werder Bremen – 1. FSV Mainz 05 3-0
Matthias Falck – Rares Sipos 3-1 (11-8, 12-10, 6-11, 13-11)
Marcelo Aguirre – Li Yongyin 3-1 (9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-1)
Kirill Gerassimenko – Carlo Rossi 3-0 (11-4, 11-8, 11-9)
ASV Grünwettersbach – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 3-0
Wang Xi – Qing Yu Meng 3-0 (11-6, 11-1, 11-5)
Tiago Apolonia – Fanbo Meng 3-1 (11-7, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9)
Ricardo Walther – Ruwen Filus 3-1 (11-5, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8)
Sunday, August 27
1pm: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT
4pm: Borussia Düsseldorf – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen
Monday, August 28
7pm: TSV Bad Königshofen – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau