Victory against Saarbrücken: Ochsenhausen remains in third place
In the most important match of the 22nd matchday of the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), the hosts TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen prevailed against the reigning Champions League winners from 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT. Thus, the play-off matches for the 2022/23 season have now also been determined.
The opening match between Simon Gauzy and Cedric Nuytinck ended clearly for the Frenchman. In less than 15 minutes, Gauzy won 3:0 and thus snatched the first point for the table tennis friends from Ochsenhausen. Only in the second set Nuytinck could keep the match close (11:4, 11:8, 11:2).
The second match saw a new face in the box for 1. FC Saarbrücken in the shape of Manav Vikash Thakkar. The Indian national player has already made four appearances for the two-league reserve team of 1. FC this season and had a record of 7:0. Only in the season 21/22 he was allowed to sniff TTBL air, but remained winless there. The direct duel with Can Akkuzu was at the same time also the match of the evening and from beginning to end an absolute thriller.
In the first set Can Akkuzu won 11:9, Thakkar took the second set 11:5. In the third set Akkuzu took the lead again and immediately after that the set was equalized. In the fifth set, Thakkar went on a streak and quickly took an 8-3 lead.
But Can Akkuzu was not impressed by that, kept fighting and forced Thakkar into the extra time. In the end, Manav Vikash Thakkar prevailed in an incredible thriller of nerves and won the fifth set 12:10.
Kulczycki wins marathon set against Polansky
Right at the beginning of the third game, the almost 400 spectators in the Dr. Hans Liebherr Hall in Ochsenhausen saw a real marathon set. After constant lead changes and set points on both sides, Samuel Kulczycki kept the upper hand over Tomas Polansky with 22:20. Visibly strained, Polansky could not decide the rest of the match in his favor and finally congratulated Kulczycki to a 3:0 victory (22:20, 11:8, 11:7).
The winning point for the 3:1 victory of the table tennis friends from Ochsenhausen over the 1. FC Saarbrücken was scored by Gauzy in a hard-fought match against Thakkar. After Thakkar took a 2-1 lead after narrowly losing the first set, Gauzy once again showed all his class and prevailed quite clearly in sets four and five (12:10, 10:12, 8:11, 11:3, 11:4).
Ochsenhausen and Saarbrücken meet again in the play-offs
The most important decision of the 22nd matchday has been made. With the victory of the TTF it is now clear that the team from Ochsenhausen has secured the third place in the table. Thus, the play-off matches are Düsseldorf against Mühlhausen and "daily greets the groundhog" - Saarbrücken against Ochsenhausen.
Overview of the 22nd matchday
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 3:1
Simon Gauzy - Cedric Nuytinck 3:0 (11:4, 11:8, 11:2)
Can Akkuzu - Manav Vikash Thakkar 2:3 (11:9, 5:11, 11:9, 8:11, 10:12)
Samuel Kulczycki - Tomas Polansky 3:0 (22:20, 11:8, 11:7)
Simon Gauzy - Manav Vikash Thakkar 3:2 (12:10, 10:12, 8:11, 11:3, 11:4)
TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – Borussia Düsseldorf 1:3
Ruwen Filus - Anton Källberg 1:3 (3:11, 11:8, 7:11, 5:11)
Chun Ting Wong - Kay Stumper 3:2 (6:11, 11:8, 9:11, 11:7, 11:7)
Fan Bo Meng - Dang Qui 1:3 (8:11, 11:9, 4:11, 15:17)
Ruwen Filus - Kay Stumper 0:3 (10:12, 6:11, 9:11)
TSV Bad Königshofen – Post SV Mühlhausen 3:1
Kilian Ort - Kim Taehyun 3:0 (11:4, 11:2, 12:10)
Bastian Steger - Irvin Bertrand 3:1 (11:6, 10:12, 11:6, 11:5)
Martin Allegro - Daniel Habesohn 1:3 (7:11, 12:10, 7:11, 6:11)
Kilian Ort - Irvin Bertrand 3:2 (11:8, 11:7, 9:11, 6:11, 11:5)
SV Werder Bremen – ASV Grünwettersbach 3:1
Matthias Falck – Deni Kozul 3:0 (11:4, 11:7, 11:4)
Kirill Gerassimenko – Tiago Apolonia 3:1 (11:6, 10:12, 14:12, 11:4)
Marcelo Aguirre – Wang Xi 0:3 (4:11, 12:14, 7:11)
Matthias Falck – Tiago Apolonia 3:0 (12:10, 12:11, 11:9)
TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – TTC Neu-Ulm 0:3
Patrick Baum – Lev Katsman 0:3 (5:11, 8:11, 6:11)
Nikola Grujic – Vladimir Sidorenko 0:3 (8:11, 6:11, 5:11)
Maciej Kubik – Maksim Grebnev 2:3 (11:7, 11:6, 4:11, 6:11, 10:12)
1. FSV Mainz 05 – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt 1:3
Andrei Putuntica – Alberto Mino 3:2 (6:11, 11:8, 6:11, 11:8, 12:10)
Luka Mladenovic – Benedikt Duda 0:3 (9:11, 7:11, 4:11)
Carlo Rossi – Omar Assar 0:3 (5:11, 5:11, 7:11)
Andrei Putuntica – Benedikt Duda 0:3 (8:11, 8:11, 8:11)