Teamcheck III: Fulda, Mühlhausen, Saarbrücken & Düsseldorf
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. In the third and final part, we look at TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell, Post SV Mühlhausen, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT and Borussia Düsseldorf.
TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell
For three seasons, TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell had been rather in the bottom of the table of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), before there was the movement upwards longed for by those responsible last season. For the first time since 2018, the East Hessians reached the play-offs again, in which there was finally the exit against Borussia Düsseldorf (2:3, 0:3). The semifinals had also been reached in the German Table Tennis Cup, where it was also against the Düsseldorfers (0:3). In view of these successes, it is no wonder that those responsible saw no reason to rebuild the squad.
In the spring, the contracts with Ruwen Filus, Fan Bo Meng and high-flyer Alexandre Cassin, who conjured up a 20:5 singles record in his TTBL debut season, were extended. Quadri Aruna had previously been given a working paper valid for the 2022/23 season. In the new season, the Fuldaers also want to reach the top four, but they know about the partly considerably strengthened competition: "From my point of view, four to eight teams can play at the very top," TTC President Stefan Frauenholz told the Osthessen-Zeitung. "It will not be easier for us, but we still want to reach the play-offs again."
Post SV Mühlhausen
Right at the start, probably the most difficult task imaginable awaits Post SV Mühlhausen: At the end of the first matchday, last year's third-placed team will face the defending champions on Monday evening, and that is likely to bring back unpleasant memories. Last year, Mühlhausen started with an away game at Borussia Düsseldorf, which resulted in a 3-1 defeat - and then three more defeats in a row and a fall in the table. All the more impressive, however, is the subsequent series of nine victories and thus the race to catch up that the Thuringians put together. The end result was the best ranking in the club's history and, at the same time, participation in the play-offs, in which Mühlhausen was eliminated by Saarbrücken (0:3, 0:3).
In view of the historic season, it is not surprising that Post SV is relying on the players who made it to the semifinals in both the league and the cup last year. In addition to the two European runners-up Daniel Habesohn (doubles) and Ovidiu Ionescu (mixed) as well as Steffen Mengel, who is returning after a long injury break, Irvin Bertrand is also among them. The 22-year-old Frenchman impressed in his debut season with an 8:9 singles record, beating Anton Källberg and Quadri Aruna among others, and is now expected to take the next step in his development.
1.FC Saarbrücken TT
The greatest success in the club's history was within reach for the 1st FC Saarbrücken TT last season: After winning the cup, Patrick Franziska and Co. were already leading 2-1 against Borussia Düsseldorf in the Liebherr TTBL final and were thus allowed to dream of winning the double for the first time. In the end, however, Düsseldorf struck back and snatched the championship away from FCS. In the new season, the FCS now wants to make the next attack on the throne and win the TTBL title for the second time after 2020.
To achieve this, the team has also upgraded its personnel: With Jin Takuya and Cedric Nuytinck, two more top players strengthen the team, which was already excellently positioned with Franziska as well as Darko Jorgic and Tomas Polansky. And Shang Kun could also make one or two appearances in the new season. "With Cedric, we have also been able to largely close the doubles as our biggest construction site," Franziska said recently in our interview, looking forward to the reinforcements. He believes, "Overall, it's going to be an exciting and interesting season because a lot of teams have stepped up. We'll have to really step on the gas to get back to the finals. But this strength across the board is exactly what's good for the league."
Borussia Düsseldorf
In the new season, the record champion will face probably the strongest competition of all time, but in view of a squad as strong as a bear, it is also one of the closest favorites for the championship in the new season. With Timo Boll, Anton Källberg and Dang Qiu, who recently crowned his steep rise with the European Championships in singles, knocking out Boll among others, Borussia Düsseldorf has three top international players. Behind them, the squad has been somewhat rebuilt: The contract with Kristian Karlsson was not renewed after six years together, and Kay Stumper will now serve for the defending champions in place of the Swede. The 19-year-old is already entering his fourth TTBL season and is now expected to take the next steps in his development at Borussia.
"Kay is one of the best players of his age in Europe, he has outstanding talent. We have high hopes for him and have therefore signed him to a long-term contract," explains Andreas Preuß. The Düsseldorf manager, meanwhile, passes on the role of favorite to a freshly strengthened rival: "The league has become more balanced and stronger. Not only the top-ranked squad from Neu-Ulm - for me also the top favorite - but almost all of them have specifically strengthened themselves, probably at least seven teams are playing for the play-offs, the league has rarely been as strong as it will be next season. Of course the title goes through Borussia Düsseldorf, of course we want to defend our title, but that will be much harder than last year."