TTCLM: Düsseldorf advances in final against Saarbrücken
Borussia Düsseldorf has taken the first step towards winning the Champions League (TTCLM). On Friday, the record champion of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) prevailed 3:2 in the final first leg at 1. FC Saarbrücken TT. The return match will take place next Monday
Only one win separates Borussia Düsseldorf from winning the Champions League title again. In the first leg of the rematch of the 2021 final, Dang Qiu led his team to a 3-2 away win at 1. FC Saarbrücken TT on Friday evening, which now gives the Düsseldorfers the best chance of claiming their seventh triumph in the TTCLM. The return match will take place next Monday at the sold-out ARAG-CenterCourt. Saarbrücken then needs at least a 3:1 to win the title; should the guests win 3:2, it would come down to the Golden Match.
"Of course I am happy that I could deliver two points today. But the most important thing is that we won. Now we have to concentrate again on Monday and hopefully we can win the title," said Dang Qiu, who again showed his best form five days after winning the German championship in singles and doubles. In the opening singles match he put an exclamation mark on his performance with a 3-0 win over Darko Jorgic. In the fifth match, he finally provided the final point: Qiu won a marathon set against Patrick Franziska with 21:19 and brought jubilation to the Düsseldorfers with his 3:1.
Franziska and Jorgic equalize respectively
Just as important as Qius' top form was a perfect performance by Kay Stumper for Borussia. The substitute for the shoulder injured Timo Boll did not give Cedric Nuytinck a chance in his 3:0 and thus put the score at 2:1 for the guests in the meantime. For the FCS, Franziska and Jorgic both equalized with 3-0 wins over Anton Källberg, fueling Saarbrücken's hopes of a win in the second leg.
"A match to remember," noted Düsseldorf coach Danny Heister. "Until the last game, all matches were 3:0 or 0:3, but at the end it was really close again. Anton had a bad day today, he never really got into the match. But Kay performed really well and implemented everything we had discussed. Dang was of course very confident and led us directly to victory with his win against Jorgic."
The TTLCM Finals in overview
First leg 1. FC Saarbrücken TT – Borussia Düsseldorf 2:3
Darko Jorgic – Dang Qiu 0:3 (7:11, 5:11, 8:11)
Patrick Franziska – Anton Källberg 3:0 (11:8, 12:10, 11:7)
Cedric Nuytinck – Kay Stumper 0:3 (7:11, 4:11, 9:11)
Darko Jorgic – Anton Källberg 3:0 (11:7, 11:8, 13:11)
Patrick Franziska – Dang Qiu 1:3 (10:12, 1:11, 11:5, 19:21)
Second leg Monday, April 3
7 p.m.: Borussia Düsseldorf – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT