Walther leads Grünwettersbach into the cup quarter-finals
There was a thrilling clash between TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau and ASC Grünwettersbach in the round of 16 of the German Table Tennis Cup. While Grenzau returned to the competition after a week's break, ASC had to play again just one day after an energy-sapping 3:2 win against Borussia Dortmund. Despite this strain, Grünwettersbach ultimately prevailed 3:1.
The start could hardly have gone worse for Grenzau. With Luka Mladenovic, the Westerwald side relied on a tactical surprise. With his anti-top rubber, the 25-year-old was supposed to cause confusion for Frenchman Leo de Nodrest. But de Nodrest remained unimpressed. He demystified Mladenovic's system of play with cool precision, skillfully countered the spinless balls and took control early on. In the end, it was a 3:0 victory that put the ASC in the lead (4:11, 7:11, 9:11).
Walther wins five-set thriller
The second match was more exciting. Grenzau's Maciej Kubik showed his potential and delivered an intense five-set thriller with Ricardo Walther. Kubik took a 2:1 lead after three hard-fought sets, but Walther found his rhythm in the fourth set and was able to put more and more pressure on the Pole. In the deciding set, Walther finally showed all his routine and won confidently 11:4, giving Grünwettersbach the 2:0 lead.
Immediately afterwards, 21-year-old Taiwanese player Yi-Hsin Feng faced Portuguese veteran Tiago Apolonia. Apolonia made too many mistakes in the decisive moments, which Feng skillfully exploited. With a 3:0 win, Feng ensured the final point (11:8, 12:10, 11:7).
Yi-Hsin Feng ties the scores
The third game brought Grenzau back into the game for the time being. The young Taiwanese player Yi-Hsin Feng came up against the Portuguese veteran Tiago Apolonia. Feng played with pressure right from the start and skillfully exploited Apolonia's mistakes in the decisive moments. With a commanding 3:0 victory (11:8, 12:10, 11:7), Feng secured the first point for Grenzau.
For the fourth match, Grenzau made use of the right to change players and sent Samuel Walker into the match instead of Luka Mladenovic. However, Walther gave the Englishman little chance and dominated the match right from the start. With an 11:5, 11:7 and 11:4, Walther sealed the 3:1 overall victory for ASC Grünwettersbach and a place in the cup quarter-finals.
Grünwettersbach impressed with a cohesive team performance and has reached the quarter-finals of the German Table Tennis Cup for the sixth time in a row. For Grenzau, on the other hand, the focus is now on the German Table Tennis League (TTBL).
The next cup round of sixteen will take place on September 10 at 7 p.m. when 1. FC Köln meets TTC Fortuna Passau.
Overview of the cup round of sixteen
TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – ASC Grünwettersbach 1:3
Luka Mladenovic - Leo de Nodrest 0:3 (4:11, 7:11, 9:11)
Maciej Kubik - Ricardo Walther 2:3 (12:10, 9:11, 11:8, 5:11, 4:11)
Yi-Hsin Feng - Tiago Apolonia 3:0 (11:8, 12:10, 11:7)
Samuel Walker - Ricardo Walther 0:3 (5:11, 6:11, 7:11)
TSV Bad Königshofen – Post SV Mühlhausen 3:1
Jin Ueda - Irvin Bertrand 3:0 (12:10, 11:9, 11:4)
Filip Zeljko - Steffen Mengel 2:3 (11:9, 5:11, 9:11, 11:6, 9:11)
Bastian Steger - Ovidiu Ionescu 3:0 (11:6, 11:7, 11:9)
Jin Ueda - Steffen Mengel 3:0 (11:9, 11:6, 11:7)
Tuesday, 10.09. 19.00 Uhr
1. FC Köln – TTC Fortuna Passau
Monday, 16.09. 20.00 Uhr
1. FSV Mainz 05 – SV Werder Bremen
Wednesday, 18.09. 19.00 Uhr
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt
Wednesday, 18.09. 19.30 Uhr
1. FC Saarbrücken TT – Borussia Dortmund
Friday, 20.09. 19:30 Uhr
TTV Lampertheim – TTC OE Bad Homburg
Saturday, 21.09. 19.00 Uhr
TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – Borussia Düsseldorf
All TTBL and German Table Tennis Cup matches will be broadcast live and on demand on Dyn.
Featured image above: Ricardo Walther from ASC Grünwettersbach (Photo: Dirk Einecke)