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Eight days have passed since the new season of the Table Tennis Bundesliga kicked off. Two matchdays are already behind us, and the action continues at a rapid pace. There isn't much time for a break. Four teams have started the season with two wins, four without a single win. Of course, the season is still long, but the start shouldn't be underestimated either.

TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau

After a thrilling opener against TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt and a derby win over ASC Grünwettersbach, Ochsenhausen currently sits in third place. Crucial to this successful start was, above all, top player Shunsuke Togami, who won all four of his matches. "We've had a very good start to the season and of course want to continue this run in front of our own fans. Two wins give us confidence, but we also know that every match in this league is difficult," the Japanese player is quoted as saying on the club's website. TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau only played on Sunday, at home against Bremen (a 2:3 loss). The Westerwald side therefore have two fewer days of rest than the Ochsen. With one win and one loss, Grenzau have made a balanced start to the season, though they also had to go the full distance twice (matchday 1: 3:2 win in Mühlhausen).

TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell

The two TTCs from Bergneustadt and Fulda started the season with very different goals. Dimitrij Ovtcharov said after the opening defeat in Bremen: "We wanted to start the season 4:0." Now the Hessians find themselves with the opposite result and are already under a bit of pressure. Especially bitter: both matches were lost in the doubles. For Bergneustadt, it's their second home match within three days. This means the Schwalben have less travel stress, but after two defeats there's also a certain amount of pressure. Last year, Bergneustadt still made the playoffs. To make it into the playoffs again this year, a win would do both teams a world of good.

SV Werder Bremen – Borussia Düsseldorf

League leaders versus fourth place: with two wins each, Bremen and Düsseldorf have made a perfect start to the Bundesliga. While Bremen needed the deciding doubles match twice to get there, Düsseldorf managed a 3:0 win over Bad Homburg and a 3:1 win over Bad Königshofen at Fan Zhendong's (home) debut. "It was a fitting warm welcome for Fan Zhendong, and he thanked us in his own way by earning two points for the team today," said Borussia's manager Andreas Preuß. The last meeting in March 2026 at the Klaus-Dieter-Fischer-Halle was won by Borussia Düsseldorf 3:2. Bremen's doubles pairing Karlsson/Bertrand, unbeaten so far this season, lost that match 2:3 against Källberg/Li.

BV Borussia 09 Dortmund – ASC Grünwettersbach

With one win and one loss each, Dortmund and Grünwettersbach stand after two matchdays. ASC won their opener 3:2 over Bad Königshofen, before suffering a defeat (1:3) in their first home match against Ochsenhausen. Dortmund lost their first match 0:3 at home against reigning German champions Saarbrücken, but won 3:1 in Bergneustadt on Sunday. So far, both clubs have only picked up points away from home. "The Table Tennis Bundesliga is a very strong league. I think every team has the potential to finish among the top four at the end. That's also what makes the league so appealing," said Dortmund's Joao Geraldo after the match against Bergneustadt.

Post SV Mühlhausen – TSV Bad Königshofen

The match between Mühlhausen and Bad Königshofen provided a real derby atmosphere. Both teams stand empty-handed after two matchdays. The Lower Franconians lost 2:3 against Grünwettersbach and 1:3 in Düsseldorf. Mühlhausen also had to admit defeat in the doubles in their opening match. The duel is made especially spicy by the Mühlhausen past of current Bad Königshofen players Daniel Habesohn and Liao Cheng-Ting. Habesohn expects a heated match: "The cauldron will definitely be boiling again, especially since Mühlhausen has lost its first two matches. Both teams will put on their armor and go at each other to win the match."

TTC OE Clarity-Tel. Syst. Bad Homburg – 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT

After their derby win over Fulda-Maberzell, TTC OE Clarity-Tel. Syst. Bad Homburg go into the match against the current title holders, 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT, with plenty of momentum. Decisive for the success in Fulda was Csaba Andras, who led Bad Homburg to victory with wins over Groth and Ovtcharov — eighth place after two matchdays. The Saarland side sit in second place after two wins, against Dortmund (3:0) and Mühlhausen (3:1). With Fan Zhendong, Saarbrücken lost their star player, but signed Hugo Calderano as a top-class replacement.
Tip: Three days ago, Dyn released the Saarbrücken documentary "Blau & Schwarz" for free on YouTube. Here's the link to the documentary.

After the third matchday comes the Cup Grand Opening in Nuremberg. All tickets are 20 percent off. Tickets are available here.

Matchday 3 overview

Tuesday, August 25:
7:00 PM: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau
7:30 PM: TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda Maberzell

Wednesday, August 26:
6:30 PM: SV Werder Bremen – Borussia Düsseldorf
6:45 PM: BV Borussia 09 Dortmund – ASC Grünwettersbach
7:00 PM: Post SV Mühlhausen – TSV Bad Königshofen
7:15 PM: TTC OE Clarity-Tel. Syst. Bad Homburg – 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT

All TTBL matches are broadcast live on Dyn.

Header image above: Andre Bertelsmeier of TSV Bad Königshofen (photo: Philipp Wohlfart).