Ionescu leads depleted Saarbrucken to victory over Bad Konigshofen
Despite missing their three top players, 1. FC Saarbrucken-TT took care of business on Matchday 14 in the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), beating TSV Bad Konigshofen 3:1 on Friday night. Eduard Ionescu impressed with two points for Saarbrucken, while Bastian Steger stayed unbeaten in 2026 for the visitors and a special debut added an extra storyline.
Hermann Muhlbach was probably not the opponent Saarbrucken expected in the opening singles on Friday, but the “perennial second-division player” had also geared up for a very different challenge. “I’d prepared for Fan Zhendong, and I’m not a professional, so I couldn’t adjust to a new system that quickly,” Muhlbach joked to Dyn after his match with Ionescu. “After 15 years in the second division, and being champion twice, this was still missing. So thanks to Bad Konigshofen for giving me the chance to finish my career with a first-division match.”
Muhlbach’s TTBL debut almost had a movie script. Ionescu struggled for a long spell with Muhlbach’s serves and slower topspin game, but fought his way back from 0:2 down to claim Saarbrucken’s first point of the night. “I didn’t start well, but he also played better than I expected. I wasn’t prepared enough. I’m happy I was able to turn the match my way,” Ionescu said. Muhlbach, too, took positives from the experience: “Despite the loss, it was very positive and a lot of fun.”
Steger remains unbeaten in 2026
The match stayed finely balanced. In a key contest, Cedric Meissner also needed the deciding set to beat Filip Zeljko, with a point from Bad Konigshofen’s No. 1 having been crucial for the underdogs’ hopes. After the break, Bastian Steger delivered for the visitors, extending his impressive start to 2026 against Saarbrucken’s second-division player Lichen Wang. Trailing 1:2 in sets, Steger turned the match around to remain unbeaten in the new calendar year. In the TTBL singles rankings, the veteran moved up to third with a 12:4 record.
Ionescu sealed the Saarbrucken win with his second point of the evening, a 3:1 victory over Zeljko in the battle of the No. 1s. It meant Saarbrucken picked up points in somewhat unexpected fashion despite the absence of Fan Zhendong, Patrick Franziska and Darko Jorgic. In the play-off race, head coach Wang Zhi’s team moved to third on 20:8 points. After two wins to start the year, Bad Konigshofen suffered their first defeat of 2026 and slipped back to bottom spot for the time being.
Matchday 14 fixtures
1. FC Saarbrucken-TT – TSV Bad Konigshofen 3:1
Eduard Ionescu – Hermann Muhlbach 3:2 (6:11, 12:14, 11:9, 11:4, 11:7)
Cedric Meissner – Filip Zeljko 3:2 (6:11, 14:12, 6:11, 11:8, 11:0)
Lichen Wang – Bastian Steger 2:3 (10:12, 11:7, 13:11, 8:11, 7:11)
Eduard Ionescu – Filip Zeljko 3:1 (11:6, 6:11, 11:9, 11:7)
Post SV Muhlhausen – TTC RhonSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 3:2
Steffen Mengel – Fanbo Meng 3:1 (13:11, 8:11, 11:8, 12:10)
Ovidiu Ionescu – Dimitrij Ovtcharov 2:3 (11:9, 8:11, 11:7, 6:11, 13:15)
Liao Cheng-Ting – Ruwen Filus 2:3 (12:10, 13:11, 9:11, 10:12, 7:11)
Steffen Mengel – Dimitrij Ovtcharov 3:0 (11:9, 11:8, 11:7)
Liao/Ionescu – Meng/Meng 3:1 (9:11, 12:10, 11:9, 11:7)
Saturday, 24 January:
15:00: Borussia Dortmund – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen
Sunday, 25 January:
14:00: SV Werder Bremen – ASC Grunwettersbach
15:30: Borussia Dusseldorf – TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg
17:00: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – TTC Zugbrucke Grenzau
All matches are streamed live on Dyn.
Picture: Eduard Ionescu of 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT (Photo: Ulrich Höfer)