Matchday 11: Summit meeting in Hamburg - Saarbrücken beats Düsseldorf in front of a dream backdrop
On Wednesday evening, the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) reached its climax in Hamburg with the last Bundesliga match of the preliminary round under the promising title "Hamburg Tischt Auf - 2.0". In an eagerly awaited clash, Borussia Düsseldorf, with an unblemished record of ten wins in ten matches, took on 1. FC Saarbrücken TT, who only recorded one defeat against SV Werder Bremen (1:3). 1. FC Saarbrücken TT were highly motivated to inflict their first defeat of the season on the league leaders.
The venue for this important duel was not, as usual, the ARAG Centercourt, but the city of Hamburg. The world-class spectacle took place in the Hanseatic city and offered table tennis fans an extraordinary experience.
The final matches of Hamburg's inclusive table tennis tournament were played in the run-up to the top-class match, underlining the diversity and inclusion in this sport.
The opening match between national team colleagues Timo Boll and Patrick Franziska turned out to be a real thriller at the start. Although Franziska went into the duel slightly weakened due to a cold, he was able to narrowly prevail against Timo Boll in the first two sets. As the match progressed, however, the Saarbrücken player's strength waned and he made several mistakes in the following two sets. Timo Boll, on the other hand, was able to read the game better and better. After Boll had clearly equalized the set at 2:2, the decisive fifth set followed. Franziska was able to recover quickly and ultimately decided the match in his favor (9:11, 8:11, 11:5, 11:4, 3:11).
Källberg provides the equalizer
In the second match, Anton Källberg left nothing to chance and defeated Eduard Ionescu 3:0 (11:9, 11:7, 11:9). With his victory over Ionescu, Källberg equalized the match for Borussia Düsseldorf, but the pressure was still high on both sides.
After the first two matches of the summit meeting, the amateurs got their chance to play their way into the limelight. In the final match of Hamburg's inclusive table tennis tournament, the spectators were able to see what is possible even with a handicap.
In the third singles match of the evening, Norway's Borgar Haug was unable to score against Cedric Meissner from 1.FC Saarbrücken TT. In the duel between the two left-handers, Meissner secured an important point with a clear 3:0 (5:11, 8:11, 8:11) and put Saarbrücken back in the lead.
Timo Boll took revenge for his defeat in the opening match in the fourth singles match of the evening. With a 3:1 against Eduard Ionescu, he gave Borussia another point to tie the score at 2:2. Boll got off to a dominant start and clearly controlled the first two sets before Ionescu fought back and won the third set. In the fourth round, however, young star Ionescu was no longer able to counter the 23-year-old Boll. The 42-year-old kept his nerve and ultimately prevailed with precise attacks and a refined serve-and-return game (11:6, 11:4, 9:11, 11:3).
Meissner and Franziska wins in double match
In the final doubles match, Källberg/Haug and Franziska/Meissner faced each other. In the end, the Saarbrücken doubles team retained the upper hand and won 3:0 (7:11, 11:13, 5:11) in front of around 3,500 spectators.
In a nerve-wracking match, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT won and ended Borussia Düsseldorf's winning streak with a narrow 3:2 victory. The top match in the "Sporthalle Hamburg" was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the current season. Despite the defeat, Borussia Düsseldorf remains at the top of the table, while 1. FC Saarbrücken is just one game behind.
Quotes from the match:
Patrick Franziska, 1.FC Saarbrücken TT:
"I'm very happy to have won against Timo. We know each other very well privately and have spent many hours training and spending time together. It's always a heated battle between us and we don't always enjoy playing against each other. The atmosphere today was outstanding and the positive mood is what makes table tennis so special."
Danny Heister, Head Coach Borussia Düsseldorf:
"So soon after the match, I can only say that my team definitely put up a fight. Even in the doubles. They came back really well. Anything is always possible against Saarbrücken. Both teams weren't at their best. But we gave everything we had. And we're the fall champions and that's good."
Overview of the 11th matchday
Borussia Düsseldorf – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 2:3
Timo Boll – Patrick Franziska 2:3 (9:11, 8:11, 11:5, 11:4, 3:11)
Anton Källberg – Eduard Ionescu 3:0 (11:9, 11:7, 11:9)
Borgar Haug – Cedric Meissner 0:3 (5:11, 8:11, 8:11)
Timo Boll – Eduard Ionescu 3:1(11:6, 11:4, 9:11, 11:3)
Anton Källberg/Borgar Haug - Patrick Franziska/ Cedric Meissner 0:3 (7:11, 11:13, 5:11)
Post SV Mühlhausen – TSV Bad Königshofen 3:1
Steffen Mengel – Bastian Steger 2:3 (11:5, 9:11, 11:8, 4:11, 3:11)
Ovidiu Ionescu – Filip Zeljko 3:2 (11:5, 11:8, 15:17, 11:13, 11:7)
Daniel Habesohn – Martin Allegro 3:1 (11:8, 11:4, 10:12, 11:6)
Steffen Mengel – Filip Zeljko 3:0 (12:10, 11:8, 11:6)
TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – ASV Grünwettersbach 3:1
Feng Yi-Hsin – Rafael Turrini 3:1 (11:8, 8:11, 11:9, 11:4)
Samuel Walker – Deni Kozul 3:2 (11:7, 11:6, 8:11, 9:11, 11:4)
Maciej Kubik – Ricardo Walther 1:3 (11:2, 9:11, 8:11, 6:11)
Feng Yi-Hsin – Deni Kozul 3:2 (11:13, 11:15, 12:10, 10:12, 11:6)
TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – 1. FSV Mainz 05 3:1
Ruwen Filus – Rares Sipos 3:1 (15:17, 14:12, 11:9, 11:9)
Fanbo Meng – Yongyin Li 3:2 (9:11, 9:11, 11:7, 11:5, 11:7)
Wong Chun Ting – Luka Mladenovic 1:3 (7:11, 3:11, 11:8, 7:11)
Thibault Poret – Carlo Rossi 3:0 (13:11, 11:9, 14:12)
SV Werder Bremen – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt 0:3
Mattias Falck – Benedikt Duda 1:3 (11:6, 9:11, 8:11, 9:11)
Kirill Gerassimenko – Romain Ruiz 0:3 (9:11, 6:11, 10:12)
Marcelo Aguirre – Adrien Rassenfosse 2:3 (11:8, 5:11, 7:11, 11:8, 7:11)