Saarbrücken leaves nothing to be desired
1.FC Saarbrücken-TT is still well on its way to the play-offs in first place in the table. The Saarland side won the early matchday 19 clash with TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt by a surprisingly clear margin.
Some may have been surprised by Saarbrücken's line-up with the young Cedric Meissner at number one, especially as Meissner was unable to train much in the run-up to today's match due to a cold. But Meissner did a good job against Frenchman Romain Ruiz. However, the guest player got off to a better start, winning the first set (11:5) and seeming to be on the winning track in the second. Meissner turned around a 7:9 deficit to win the set and ultimately the match.
Duda loses more narrowly than the result suggests
When Yuto Muramatsu serves, table tennis fans are usually in for a treat. The defensive player in the service of FCS 1 also returned many balls against national player Benedikt Duda and brought him to the brink of despair. After taking a big lead in the first set, the Japanese player had to tremble again in the end (11:9). The second set was similarly close. The Schwalbe player got off to the better start here, but then faced set points from Muramatsu again. The final score was 13:11. The third set was to be the last - again close, again with the better end for Saarbrücken, who had thus created a very good starting position.
Darko Jorgic provided the final point with his 3:1 win over Adrien Rassenfosse. Jorgic went into the match as the clear favorite and won the first two sets quite confidently, but the third set went to Rassenfosse. After that, however, the Slovenian regained his focus. Well-deserved victory for Saarbrücken. Lead in the table extended.
Bundesliga table tennis will be back on March 17. Grenzau will host Fulda at 1 pm. At 4 p.m., Mühlhausen will play Grünwettersbach and Düsseldorf Bad Königshofen. The 19th matchday will continue on March 20.
Comments on the game:
Benedikt Duda (TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt): "Saarbrücken showed today that they are the league leaders for a reason. 0:3 sounds clear - and that's how it was in the end. Saarbrücken deserved to win. To be honest, we didn't expect to win today, even though Patrick Franziska didn't play."
Cedric Meissner (1. FC Saarbrücken-TT): "When Wang Zhi told me today that I should play in the number one position, I first asked him if he was sure. But in the end it worked out. It was a tough match against Romain Ruiz, especially at the beginning, I didn't get off to a good start in the first set. It got better from set to set. In the end, it was a battle victory."
Overview of the 19th matchday
1. FC Saarbrücken-TT – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt 3:0
Cedric Meissner – Romain Ruiz 3:1 (5:11, 11:9, 11:8, 11:5)
Yuto Muramatsu – Benedikt Duda 3:0 (11:9, 13:11, 11:8)
Darko Jorgic – Adrien Rassenfosse 3:1 (11:6, 11:8, 9:11, 5:11)
Wednesday, 20 March
7 p.m.: Borussia Düsseldorf – 1. FSV Mainz 05
Monday, 25 March
7 p.m.: TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – TSV Bad Königshofen
Sunday, 7 April
4 p.m.: ASV Grünwettersbach – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen
Tuesday, 9 April
7 p.m.: SV Werder Bremen – TTC Rhönsprudel Fulda-Maberzell
All TTBL matches will be broadcast live on Dyn.
Featured image above: Darko Jorgic from 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT (photo: BeLa-Sportfoto).