Matchday 5: Final rematch in Saarbrücken, Mühlhausen wants its first win

After the short break due to the WTT China Smash, the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) returns on Wednesday with matchday 5. Post SV Mühlhausen will be hoping for their first win of the season against TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen. The rest of the matchday will include a rematch of the Liebherr TTBL final between 1. FC Saarbrücken TT and Borussia Düsseldorf on Friday. Before that, the catch-up match between TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau and Borussia Düsseldorf will take place on Wednesday.

Post SV Mühlhausen – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen

Post SV Mühlhausen's start to the season has been a complete failure. After four match days, the Thuringians are still without a win and, as a result, are in last place in the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) with 0:8 points. Mühlhausen recently conceded a 2:3 in Bremen. Against TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen, who have recently regained their strength, Post SV are therefore both underdogs and under pressure. Ochsenhausen have recently won three competitive matches in a row - two in the TTBL and the cup round of 16 - and will probably be able to call on Hugo Calderano, Simon Gauzy, Leonardo Iizuka and Tiago Abiodun on Wednesday. Shunsuke Togami, on the other hand, will be missing due to his participation in the Asian Championship. ‘The game in Mühlhausen is an important one for us, even if it will be difficult, because we are facing an opponent with a lot of experience in a foreign venue,’ said TTF coach Bogdan Pugna. ‘We've had enough time to prepare well and I'm confident that we'll find a strategy to survive and win there.’

TTC OE Bad Homburg – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt

How did TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt react to their first defeat of the season? In the top match against Fulda, the team from the Oberbergisch region recently lost for the first time (2:3), with Kanak Jha also conceding his first defeat in his eighth singles match of the season. Bergneustadt will now be looking to get back on track at TTC OE Bad Homburg and secure their fourth win of the season in the TTBL - but will face a dangerous opponent. The newly promoted team only managed one success in a 3:1 win in Grenzau. However, Bad Homburg and new signing Kristian Karlsson also sold themselves dearly in the other games and also had to deal with three top teams in Saarbrücken (2:3), Düsseldorf (0:3) and Bad Königshofen (2:3). The potential match between Karlsson (4:3 record) and Jha on Thursday could turn out to be a key game.

1. FC Saarbrücken TT – Borussia Düsseldorf

A real treat awaits all fans on Friday with the rematch of the Liebherr TTBL final: 1 FC Saarbrücken TT will once again challenge record champions Borussia Düsseldorf and would like to take a little revenge for the 1:3 in the title showdown in June. However, the season so far has not really gone to the FCS's liking: the reigning runners-up have already conceded two defeats, won twice only in the doubles and are only in seventh place with 4:4 points. However, the memories of the previous season, when Saarbrücken beat Düsseldorf 3:2 twice in the main round, should give them confidence. Borussia started the season with 4:2 points and will face a double challenge in the coming days: Before the clash with Saarbrücken, the record champions will face TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau on Wednesday evening. ‘Normally, Dang Qiu and Anton Källberg are seeded for the match in Grenzau. We still have to see who will play behind them. Of course we want a win in Grenzau, that's clear,’ says Düsseldorf coach Danny Heister.

TSV Bad Königshofen – Borussia Dortmund

After making it into the play-offs for the first time in the previous season, TSV Bad Königshofen are also in the top flight in the new season. After wins against Mühlhausen (3:0), Ochsenhausen and Bad Homburg (3:2 each) and a defeat in Fulda (1:3), the club from Franconia has 6:2 points and is in fourth place. They are now aiming for their fourth win of the season against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Incidentally, a very special highlight for Bad Königshofen was announced a few days ago: The away match between the Franconians and Borussia Düsseldorf on 15 December will not take place in North Rhine-Westphalia, but in the tectake Arena in Würzburg, which can hold 2750 fans. The occasion is the 75th birthday of TTC Kist. Dortmund, on the other hand, have 2:6 points so far in their TTBL debut season: BVB celebrated its opening win in Mühlhausen (3:1), and the team also sold itself dearly against Bremen (1:3), Grünwettersbach (2:3) and Ochsenhausen (1:3).

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – ASC Grünwettersbach

Will TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell's streak continue against ASC Grünwettersbach? The East Hessians celebrated four victories on the first four match days of the TTBL, also reached the cup round of 16 against Düsseldorf (3:1), are at the top of the TTBL table with 8:0 points and have thus taken the first big steps towards the hoped-for play-off participation. Dimitrij Ovtcharov is the guarantor of success: The newcomer has a singles record of 7:0 and is currently the most successful player in the TTBL. Kao Cheng-Jui (2:1) and Fanbo Meng (2:2) also impressed in his shadow. The Fulda team are now clear favourites against Grünwettersbach on Saturday: Grünwettersbach have celebrated one win so far, a 3:2 in Dortmund, and are currently in tenth place with 2:6 points. ASC fans were recently delighted to see Ricardo Walther extend his contract: the 32-year-old has signed until 2029.

SV Werder Bremen – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau

The match between SV Werder Bremen and TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau will not take place for another three weeks. The reason for the postponement of the match originally scheduled for 24 October is the qualification of Kirill Gerassimenko from Bremen for the WTT Champions Tournament in Montpellier (22 to 27 October). Bremen's next TTBL match will take place in Fulda on 27 October, when the two - at least currently - unbeaten teams will face off. Both Fulda and Werder have 8:0 points to their name. Grenzau already face a challenge tomorrow, Wednesday, when they take on Borussia Düsseldorf. ‘Matches against Düsseldorf are always something special,’ says TTC manager Markus Ströher. ‘We showed at the end of last season with our victory in Düsseldorf that we can surprise in such matches. However, we have to be very clear: Even though Grenzau and Düsseldorf are the two most successful German table tennis clubs, Borussia are of course the clear favourites.’

Der 5. Spieltag in der Übersicht

Wednesday, 9 October
7 pm: Post SV Mühlhausen – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen

Thursday, 10 October
7 pm: TTC OE Bad Homburg – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt

Friday, 11 October
7 pm: 1. FC Saarbrücken TT – Borussia Düsseldorf

Saturday, 12 October
5.30 pm: TSV Bad Königshofen – Borussia Dortmund
7 pm: TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – ASC Grünwettersbach

Friday, 1 November
7 pm: SV Werder Bremen – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau

Feature photo above: Dang Qiu from Borussia Düsseldorf (Photo: BeLa Sportfoto)