Match day #22: Who will take second place?
The regular season of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) is heading toward a thrilling finale. On Sunday, the 22nd and final matchday, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT and TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt will face off in a showdown. Regular-season winner Borussia Düsseldorf faces defending champion TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen, while SV Werder Bremen aims to defend its second-place standing against TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell. All matches will be broadcast as individual games on Dyn, and there will also be a major conference with Timo Boll on the mic.
Borussia Dortmund – Post SV Mühlhausen
Borussia Dortmund and Post SV Mühlhausen face off in a battle for seventh place: Both teams currently have 18:24 points and naturally want to end the season with a win. The form curve favors the visitors: Mühlhausen won its last two matches in the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), including a 3-0 victory over Bad Königshofen last Tuesday. Dortmund, on the other hand, had briefly been in contention for a playoff spot but has recently suffered four consecutive losses. Nevertheless, BVB has already secured the best finish in the club’s history: Borussia finished its debut season in ninth place with 16:28 points; currently, they already have 18:24 points to their credit. After the match, by the way, all BVB players will participate in an autograph session hosted by de
TSV Bad Königshofen – TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg
Although TSV Bad Königshofen has already secured its place in the TTBL, the team still faces the threat of finishing last in the standings. With 12.5 points, the Lower Franconian side currently sits in eleventh place, just two points ahead of Grünwettersbach. “Things just didn’t go our way from the start,” Daniel Habesohn had already summed up the season after the recent 0-3 loss in Mühlhausen: “Overall, not much came together. Our performance wasn’t good. In the last game and especially in the coming season, we need to hit the reset button and do better.” TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg is likely to look back on the season with much greater satisfaction. With 16:26 points, the Taunus team has secured its place in the league on the court as well, most recently with a 3-1 win over Ochsenhausen. This was followed by several roster updates: While Jo Yokotani is leaving the team after the season, Kazuki Hamada and Finn Luu have been signed, as well as a new coach, Slobodan Grujic.
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – Borussia Düsseldorf
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen is looking forward to an emotional end to the season: Although last year’s double champion missed out on qualifying for the Liebherr TTBL Final4, the team is nonetheless satisfied with the past few months given the recent shake-up in the roster. Ochsenhausen currently stands at 20:22 points, so a win to close out the season would even the score. “Against Düsseldorf, we want to come together as a unit once more, fight hard, and show what we’re made of,” says Andreas Levenko ahead of the match. “Our priority is to finish the season on a high note together with our fans.” Borussia Düsseldorf, on the other hand, can already set its sights on the Liebherr TTBL Final4: The record champion has secured the main round title and can therefore choose its semifinal opponent from among the third- and fourth-place teams in the main round, so it will be watching the other matches with keen interest.
SV Werder Bremen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell
SV Werder Bremen faces a challenging situation heading into the final match of the regular season: A win against TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell would secure second place for the Hanseatic side, marking the best finish in the club’s history and setting yet another club record with 16 wins this season. At the same time, however, second place would mean a potential semifinal matchup against Saarbrücken in the Liebherr TTBL Final4—and thus against the heavy favorite for the title. “In the end, we’ll take it as it comes,” says Werder team manager Sascha Greber, assessing the situation. Fulda, on the other hand, missed out on the hoped-for spot in the Final4 but has worked its way back up the standings with spirited performances. Currently, the TTC is even in fifth place with 20:22 points. In Bremen, however, the team will likely have to play without Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Jonathan Groth.
TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT
The top match of Matchday 22 takes place at TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt, which hosts 1. FC Saarbrücken TT. FCS, in particular, is likely to be looking to strike again: With a win against Bergneustadt, Saarbrücken could claim second place in the standings should Bremen lose to Fulda at the same time, and would then definitely avoid Düsseldorf in the semifinals of the Liebherr TTBL Final4. Bergneustadt’s chance at second place, on the other hand, is likely only a mathematical possibility. Both TTC and FCS currently have 28:14 points, two fewer than Werder (30:12). Bergneustadt is likely to go into the match with fond memories: The first leg was also the season opener for both teams; back then, Romain Ruiz and Benedikt Duda each surprised with a win over Fan Zhendong, leading the visitors to a 3-1 victory.
TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – ASC Grünwettersbach
There has been a huge sigh of relief at ASC Grünwettersbach in recent days. First, the team secured its place in the league after TSV Windsbach declined promotion; shortly thereafter, it claimed its first victory of the second half of the season with a 3-1 win over Bergneustadt. Now the team from Baden even has a chance to climb out of last place in the standings before the season ends. With a win at TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau, Grünwettersbach would finish the season in eleventh place, provided Bad Königshofen loses to Bad Homburg at the same time. Grenzau, meanwhile, has already secured tenth place, currently sitting at 16:26 points, and could even climb a bit further up the standings with a ninth win of the season.
Match day #22 at a glance
Sunday, April 19
3:00 p.m.: Borussia Dortmund – Post SV Mühlhausen
3:00 p.m.: TSV Bad Königshofen – TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg
3:00 p.m.: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – Borussia Düsseldorf
3:00 p.m.: SV Werder Bremen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell
3:00 p.m.: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT
3:00 p.m.: TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – ASC Grünwettersbach
All matches will be broadcast live on Dyn.
Header photo: SV Werder Bremen's Kirill Gerassimenko