Victory in Mühlhausen – Düsseldorf back at the top of the table
It was a short match in Mühlhausen, Thuringia. At times it looked as though the record champions would take the points back to the Rhineland without dropping a single set. With the 3:0 away win, Borussia Düsseldorf reclaimed top spot in the table from TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen. Ochsenhausen and Düsseldorf are thus the only two teams still unbeaten.
In the first match of the evening, Yongyin Li laid a strong foundation for Düsseldorf's success. He swept Mühlhausen veteran Steffen Mengel off the table 3:0. "Maybe Mengel is still missing that final bit of belief. He hasn't played enough competitive matches. I know he's there in training, which is why I put him at position one," head coach Erik Schreyer said at the dyn microphone after the match. Kay Stumper also had little to offer against Düsseldorf's number one, Kanak Jha, in the second match — another 0:3 from the Thuringians' perspective. The final set even ended 3:11.
Marcos Freitas doesn't give up – Källberg seals the deal
After the break, Borussia Düsseldorf seemed to pick up right where they'd left off. Anton Källberg quickly went up 2:0. It looked as though Mühlhausen might have to fold here without winning a single set. But the Portuguese player in the Thuringians' jersey didn't give up. "After going down 0:2, Marcos played smart and changed his game. I couldn't get any easy points anymore. I had trouble with his serves," Källberg admitted after the match. The fifth set then went to the Düsseldorf player 11:9. "That one was really 50:50. I had a few lucky balls in there too," said Källberg.
While Düsseldorf moved back to the top of the table with this win, Post SV Mühlhausen is, for now, at the bottom. Mühlhausen coach Erik Schreyer on the match: "I'm rarely speechless, but today I am. We had big plans in front of a sold-out hall. I didn't see any joy in playing in the first two matches. I didn't think the players' attitude was worthy of a match like this. We now have a month off. In November and December we need to show a different face, otherwise it's going to be a very, very tough year for us."
Mühlhausen may now have a month's break, but Matchday 6 of the TTBL continues as early as Friday. At 6:30 PM, Grünwettersbach host Grenzau. TSV Bad Königshofen travel to Saarland, with the match in Saarbrücken starting at 7 PM.
Matchday 5 overview
Post SV Mühlhausen – Borussia Düsseldorf 0:3
Steffen Mengel – Yongyin Li 0:3 (8:11, 7:11, 10:12)
Kay Stumper – Kanak Jha 0:3 (8:11, 10:12, 3:11)
Marcos Freitas – Anton Källberg 2:3 (8:11, 9:11, 11:8, 11:7, 9:11)
BV Borussia 09 Dortmund – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 2:3
Joao Geraldo – Dimitrij Ovtcharov 2:3 (11:8, 5:11, 13:11, 7:11, 7:11)
Kristian Karlsson – Ruwen Filus 3:2 (6:11, 11:6, 8:11, 11:5, 11:5)
Wim Verdonschot – Fanbo Meng 3:1 (11:9, 9:11, 12:10, 11:8)
Joao Geraldo – Ruwen Filus 0:3 (7:11, 4:11, 10:12)
Szudi/Karlsson – Ovtcharov/Meng 0:3 (6:11, 8:11, 8:11)
TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – TSV Bad Königshofen 3:2
Liam Pitchford – Liao Cheng-Ting 3:1 (11:8, 11:7, 10:12, 11:6)
Maciej Kubik – Bastian Steger 0:3 (8:11, 5:11, 9:11)
Martin Allegro – Andre Bertelsmeier 0:3 (7:11, 5:11, 8:11)
Liam Pitchford – Bastian Steger 3:1 (11:5, 11:6, 8:11, 11:7)
Kubik/Allegro – Bertelsmeier/Habesohn 3:2 (11:8, 9:11, 9:11, 11:6, 12:10)
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 3:0
Daniel Berzosa – Danilo Faso 3:2 (8:11, 8:11, 11:4, 11:4, 14:12)
Tiago Abiodun – Albert Vilardell 3:1 (10:12, 11:6, 12:10, 13:11)
Iulian Chirita – Samuel Arpas 3:0 (11:7, 11:8, 11:7)
SV Werder Bremen – ASC Grünwettersbach 2:3
Mattias Karlsson – Tobias Hippler 1:3 (11:7, 10:12, 7:11, 15:17)
Irvin Bertrand – Ricardo Walther 3:1 (11:7, 11:8, 10:12, 11:1)
Kirill Gerassimenko – Tom Jarvis 3:0 (11:8, 12:10, 11:9)
Mattias Karlsson – Ricardo Walther 1:3 (11:9, 9:11, 11:13, 8:11)
Irvin Bertrand/Kirill Gerassimenko – Tiago Apolonia/Tobias Hippler 1:3 (7:11, 9:11, 11:8, 9:11)
TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg 2:3
Benedikt Duda – Juan Perez 3:0 (11:7, 11:7, 11:1)
Cedric Meissner – Csaba Andras 2:3 (15:13, 11:13, 6:11, 11:5, 8:11)
Romain Ruiz – Finn Luu 3:1 (12:10, 7:11, 11:9, 11:5)
Benedikt Duda – Csaba Andras 0:3 (6:11, 10:12, 9:11)
Cedric Meissner/Adrien Rassenfosse – Benno Oehme/Ivor Ban 2:3 (8:11, 7:11, 11:1, 11:4, 10:12)
All matches are broadcast live on Dyn.
Caption above: Kanak Jha of Borussia Düsseldorf (photo: Philipp Wohlfart).