Table tennis thriller: Ochsenhausen wins in Fulda
TTC Rhönsprudel Fulda-Maberzell and TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen faced each other in a thrilling match in the German Table Tennis League (TTBL).The omens were clear: Fulda wanted to take the momentum with them after their impressive run of form in recent matches and assert themselves against Ochsenhausen. The visitors, on the other hand, also had a lot to make up for and were determined to return home with points in their luggage.
The duel began with an intense exchange of blows between Ruwen Filus and Alvaro Robles. Robles won the first two sets 9:11 and 10:12, before Filus managed to close the gap in the third set 13:11. Spurred on by the set win, Filus was also able to pull away right at the start of set four, but was unable to take the lead. After two missed set points, it was finally Alvaro Robles who raised his arms in jubilation. After a spectacular rally to make the score 14:12, the Spaniard put his TTF from Ochsenhausen ahead.
In the direct duel between the two Frenchmen Thibault Poret and Can Akkuzu, Akkuzu ultimately retained the upper hand and extended the lead in the visitors' favor with a 3:1 victory over Poret (11:4, 5:11, 5:11, 11:13).
Fanbo Meng wins against Gauzy for the first time
But Fulda-Maberzell did not give up. Fanbo Meng fought back in a spectacular match against Simon Gauzy and secured the first point for Fulda with his victory.Meng put in an impressive performance and was not discouraged by losing the first set and falling behind (5:11, 11:8, 13:11, 5:11, 11;8).
In the fourth match of the evening, Ruwen Filus played again, this time against Can Akkuzu. In a thrilling match, Filus held his nerve and secured the equalizer for Fulda-Maberzell. In the end, it was a real tour de force for Filus. After having to go the full distance in all sets of the first game, the first three sets of the match also only ended two points apart. Only the fourth set was a relatively clear 11:8 for Filus (11:9, 9:11, 11:9, 11:8).
Shock in the final double - Gauzy injured
The fate of the match was now hanging by a thread as Fanbo Meng and Thibault Poret took on Simon Gauzy and Alvaro Robles in the doubles. The first two sets ended narrowly 11:9 in favor of the visitors, before things became dramatic at 11:11 in the third. When the Ochsenhausen side won the point at 12:11, Gauzy got caught on Robles' foot, stumbled and shortly afterwards lay on the floor with his face contorted in pain.
The match continued without an injury break. Meng's serve was followed by a backhand topspin from Robles, who scored the direct point to make the final score 3:2 for TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen.
Despite the defeat, Fulda put in a strong performance, especially Fanbo Meng, who kept his team's hopes alive with his victory. Ochsenhausen, on the other hand, can be pleased to have taken two points from Hesse to Baden-Württemberg
Comments on the match:
Fanbo Meng (TTC Rhönsprudel Fulda-Maberzell): "Of course, this defeat hurts just as much as any other defeat. We wanted to give 100% today. Ruwen had chances against Alvaro in the first game. All sets were only two points apart. Ruwen is in very good form at the moment, so his defeat in the opening singles match is a real shame. My game was really good today and I also felt very good. Our final doubles match was of course very annoying. We lost all the sets by a narrow margin. The defeat today is a real shame."
Alvaro Robles (TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen): "It was a tough fight today with the better end for us. It's not easy to win against any opponent in the Bundesliga, even if you're already leading 2:0. I'm very happy that we were finally able to win a doubles match and now head home with two points in our luggage. Now we have to focus fully on our last game of the season."
Click here for the current table: https://www.ttbl.de/bundesliga/table
Overview of the 21th matchday
TTC Rhönsprudel Fulda-Maberzell – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 2:3
Ruwen Filus – Alvaro Robles 1:3 (9:11, 10:12, 13:11, 12:14)
Thibault Poret – Can Akkuzu 1:3 (11:4, 5.11, 5:11, 11:13)
Fanbo Meng – Simon Gauzy 3:2 (5:11, 11:8, 13:11, 5:11, 11;8)
Ruwen Filus – Can Akkuzu 3:1 (11:9, 9:11, 11:9, 11:8)
Fanbo Meng/Thibault Poret - Simon Gauzy/Alvaro Robles 0:3 (9:11, 9:11, 11:13)
SV Werder Bremen – ASV Grünwettersbach 3:1
Mattias Falck – Tiago Apolonia 3:2 (11:3, 4:11, 6:11, 11:6, 12:10)
Marcelo Aguirre – Rafael Turrini 3:2 (4:11, 12:14, 11:7, 12:10, 11:6)
Kirill Gerassimenko – Ricardo Walther 0:3 (4:11, 3:11, 9:11)
Mattias Falck – Rafael Turrini 3:2 (7:11, 2:11, 11:7, 11:9, 11:5)
TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt 0:3
Feng Yi-Hsin – Kanak Jha 1:3 (7:11, 11:9, 11:13, 11:13)
Maciej Kubik – Romain Ruiz 1:3 (11:4, 6:11, 11:13, 7:11)
Samuel Walker – Benedikt Duda 0:3 (8:11, 8:11, 8:11)
Post SV Mühlhausen – 1. FSV Mainz 05 3:2
Steffen Mengel – Carlo Rossi 3:0 (11:6, 11:9, 11:9)
Irvin Bertrand – Yongyin Li 3:1 (7:11, 11:8, 11:7, 11:5)
Ovidiu Ionescu – Luka Mladenovic 0:3 (9:11, 12:14, 8:11)
Steffen Mengel – Yongyin Li 1:3 (9:11, 9:11, 11:4, 12:14)
Irvin Bertrand/Ovidiu Ionescu – Luka Mladenovic/Carlo Rosse 3:0 (11:9, 11:9, 11:7)
Freitag, 26. April
19 Uhr: 1. FC Saarbrücken TT – Borussia Düsseldorf
All matches in the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) are broadcast live and on demand on Dyn.
Featured image above: Alvaro Robles (Photo: Nicolai Schaal)