"That was nothing" - Fulda still waiting for its first win of the season
On the 10th matchday of the German Table Tennis League (TTBL), the hosts from Ochsenhausen awaited the last-placed team from Fulda. Wong Chun Ting, a long-awaited face for Fulda, was back in the line-up, giving the visitors hope for their first points of the season.
However, it was not only Fulda's season that has not gone as expected so far. TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen, with four wins and already five defeats, were not in the position they expected themselves to be in before the match. It was therefore a very important match for both teams to collect more points.
Simon Gauzy in outstanding form
As Wong Chun Ting had been moved to position two by Fulda, Wong and Gauzy faced off directly at the start of the game. Wong, who had previously only played against Saarbrücken and won against Cedric Meissner, was supposed to be Fulda's hope of a first win of the season. But Simon Gauzy had something against that. The Frenchman was in great form and secured the first point of the day with a 3:1 win (11:8, 8:11, 11:5, 11:9). He now has a strong 8:2 record in the league.
Robles and Suzuki ensure a quick win
With the 1:0 lead behind him, Alvaro Robles took to the table for Ochsenhausen, who wanted to improve his 1:6 record after an unfortunate start to the season against some strong opponents. And he managed to do just that in his match against Ruwen Filus. With a smooth 3:0 (11:6, 11:8, 11:7), he gave his team a 2:0 lead. Suzuki scored the final point for Ochsenhausen with a 3:1 (5:11, 11:5, 11:9, 11:9) against Fanbo Meng.
The game was already over and Ochsenhausen picked up two important points to stay in touch with the play-off places. Robles was delighted after the game: "We're very happy to end the preliminary round and thus also this year 2023 with a win against Fulda. That was a very important win for us and now we have a bit of time to recover before we start preparing for the Cup Final Four."
Fulda, on the other hand, must return home empty-handed. Ruwen Filus had clear words to say about that: "That was nothing, I have to say quite clearly. Wong was there again today, so we actually had the chance to put up more resistance, but it didn't go the way we wanted it to from the outset and that's why Ochsenhausen deserved to win. We have to put the game behind us quickly now, as our next game against Mainz will be very, very important."
The next two games of matchday 10 continue tomorrow.
Overview of the 10th matchday
ASV Grünwettersbach – TSV Bad Königshofen 1:3
Tiago Apolonia – Martin Allegro 2:3 (11:6, 11:2, 10:12, 11:13, 8:11)
Timothy Falconnier – Bastian Steger 1:3 (7:11,11:9, 7:11, 6:11)
Deni Kozul – Filip Zeljko 3:1 (10:12, 11:8, 11:8, 11:8)
Tiago Apolonia – Bastian Steger 2:3 (17:15, 11:6, 9:11, 9:11, 7:11)
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – TTC Rhönsprudel Fulda-Maberzell 3:0
Simon Gauzy – Wong Chun Ting 3:1 (11:8, 8:11, 11:5, 11:9)
Alvaro Robles – Ruwen Filus 3:0 (11:6, 11:8, 11:7)
Hayate Suzuki – Fanbo Meng 3:1 (5:11, 11:5, 11:9, 11:9)
Sunday, December 17
13 Uhr: 1. FSV Mainz 05 – Borussia Düsseldorf
16 Uhr: SV Werder Bremen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT
Monday, December 18
19 Uhr: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – Post SV Mühlhausen.
All TTBL Matches will broadcast live on Dyn.
Featured Image above: Alvaro Robles from TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen (Photo: Nicolai Schaal)