Teamcheck II: Bad Königshofen, Neu-Ulm, Bergneustadt & Ochsenhausen
The 2022/23 season of the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) is about to start. In advance, we take a look at the twelve clubs that will be chasing points again from Sunday. The second part is about TSV Bad Königshofen, TTC Neu-Ulm, TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt and TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen.
TSV Bad Königshofen
In its sixth season in the German Table Tennis League (TTBL), TSV Bad Königshofen has set its sights on another feat: participating in the play-offs for the first time. "The last four," replied coach Koji Itagaki recently at the team presentation of the Lower Franconians, when asked about the objective in the new season. This hope is fueled in particular by a transfer coup: With the signing of the world number 22 Yukiya Uda, the TSV achieved a major surprise in the spring, which now allows fans and officials to dream of a better ranking than eighth in the previous year and possibly even the best in the club's history.
In addition to Uda, Bad Königshofen has two other top players in Bastian Steger and Kilian Ort. The Lower Franconians have also strengthened their squad: In addition to Filip Zeljko, Martin Allegro is now available to compensate for the departure of Maksim Grebnev (to TTC Neu-Ulm), so that Bad Königshofen is entering a TTBL season with five players in the squad for the first time.
TTC Neu-Ulm
There is probably no other club that is more in the spotlight before the start of the season than TTC Neu-Ulm. In one fell swoop, the Swabians announced the signing of four players from the top 10 of the world rankings in the spring, catapulting them into the circle of title favorites in all competitions. It is an "exciting and inspiring project," said Dimitrij Ovtcharov when announcing his transfer, "which fascinates and totally motivates me." While Tomokazu Harimoto will serve exclusively in the Champions League (TTCLM), Ovtcharov, Truls Moregard and Lin Yun-Ju are also licensed for the TTBL and the German Table Tennis Cup. Participation in the play-offs as well as a place in the Final Four should thus be the minimum goal - in each case it would be the first time in the fourth year of the club's existence. In previous years, Neu-Ulm had finished seventh, fifth and eighth in the TTBL.
However, the majority of the matches in the TTBL are likely to be contested by the top Russian talents Lev Katsman, Vladimir Sidorenko and newcomer Maksim Grebnev (from TSV Bad Königshofen). "The focus of the goals in the 2022/23 season is the Champions League and the German Table Tennis Cup, but we will also have very attractive home matches in the Bundesliga," explained Michael Kühn from the TTC's board team most recently. "Essential is that only players can be used in the Final Four of the German Table Tennis Cup who - if provided with a full-year license - have already played or been present in three competitive matches (league and/or cup) before."
TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt
TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt had an emotional roller coaster ride last season: After a mixed start, Benedikt Duda's team was the first in the TTBL season to defeat Borussia Düsseldorf in January, and subsequently moved closer and closer to the play-offs with five wins in a row. In the final spurt, however, Bergneustadt ran out of steam, and after only one win from the last five matches, the TTC finally ended up in sixth place with a balanced points account (22:22) and four points behind the play-off places.
After great consistency in previous years, the squad was rebuilt a bit for the new season: Alvaro Robles left the club after five years together and moved to TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen. Robles was replaced by Omar Assar, who returns to the TTBL from the French Pro A of GV Hennebont TT. Also new is Romain Ruiz, who takes the place of Elias Ranefur. Going into his fourth season with Bergneustadt is Alberto Mino. The position of coach is now held by Jens Stötzel and Frederik Duda after Yang Lei left the club.
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen had reached the play-offs six times in a row, but missed out last season for the first time since 2015. Despite a promising start with, among others, a win against 1. FC Saarbrücken TT and with 12:0 points after six matches, the Upper Swabians still fell out of the top four in the second half. Only one victory was achieved between the 11th and 15th matchday, in the end the TTF ended up in fifth place behind TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell due to the worse match difference. In the new season, Ochsenhausen is hoping to make the play-offs again and is relying in particular on the improved form of Simon Gauzy. The French world number 27 had to settle for a 12:9 singles record last year.
"Unfortunately, I didn't play at my very best level last season," Gauzy admitted as part of his contract extension. "I hope that next season I can again call up the level that I showed two years ago. And that we then reach the play-offs and the Liebherr Cup final again." In addition to Gauzy, Kanak Jha and Samuel Kulczycki, who was fully convincing in his first two seasons in the TTBL, continue to be part of the team. New to the squad are Alvaro Robles (TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt) and Japanese top player Shunsuke Togami, who should strengthen the team not only in terms of width but also in terms of top players. "Even though the table tennis Bundesliga will be very strong next season, our ambition should be to enter both the Final Four in the Cup and the play-offs. I want to continue to improve my game and learn more in order to help the team," Robles said when he made the switch.