Bundesliga

After four matchdays of the TTBL season, two teams remain unbeaten – while no side is left without a point. TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen continued their perfect start despite the absence of star player Shunsuke Togami, keeping pace with record champions Borussia Düsseldorf. The Swabians won 3–0 at TSV Bad Königshofen. Until Sunday, Post SV Mühlhausen and TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell had both been pointless. The two clubs carried the momentum from the Leapmotor Pokal Grand Opening into the league and ended their poor runs.

Ochsenhausen youngsters impress

Without star man Shunsuke Togami, it was the “young guns” led by Iulian Chirita who kept Ochsenhausen’s perfect start alive. “We knew the moment would come when the young players would have to play,” Chirita told Dyn. “It’s the first time we’ve played with three young players, but it will happen more often in the future.”

In his second TTBL season, the Romanian took on the role of the experienced player. His compatriot Darius Movileanu was contesting only his second TTBL singles match on Sunday, while Daniel Berzosa was making his singles debut. Both showed impressively that they belong at this level: Berzosa edged André Bertelsmeier in five sets in his first TTBL singles match, while Movileanu beat Daniel Habesohn in four. Chirita completed the victory with a straight-sets win over Filip Željko.

Mühlhausen secure first win of the season in deciding doubles

After their emphatic 3–0 win over ASC Grünwettersbach in the round of 16 at the Leapmotor Pokal Grand Opening, Post SV Mühlhausen travelled to Karlsruhe full of confidence – but without taking anything for granted. “We knew from the start that it wouldn’t be like the cup match,” Ovidiu Ionescu told Dyn after Post SV’s important first win of the season. The Romanian admitted that there had been pressure within the Thuringian team, but said they “just fought because we hadn’t won yet”.

The matches at the ASC Arena were fiercely contested from the very first rally on Sunday evening. Both singles before the break went to five sets, with the teams splitting the points. Tom Jarvis held his nerve against Steffen Mengel in the opener, while Kay Stumper claimed the visitors’ important first point against Tiago Apolónia.

Jarvis ASC’s standout performer

After the break, Ionescu gave the visitors their first lead with a 3–1 win over Ricardo Walther. Jarvis once again justified the faith shown in him by ASC head coach Kilian Ort, winning his second singles of the night to level the tie at 2–2. His 3–1 victory over Stumper was already his fourth singles win in seven matches, making Jarvis the only Karlsruhe player with a positive TTBL record after four matchdays.

In the doubles, however, the visitors once again had the upper hand – helped by a tactical advantage. “Mühlhausen had a slight advantage with the left-right combination in the doubles,” Ort admitted to Dyn. The pairing of Ionescu/Marcos Freitas made it count with a four-set win over Apolónia/Walther. It was a painful defeat for the hosts and for Ort. “Every match could have gone the other way,” the coach said. “We have to accept it and try to do better in the next matches.”

Fulda use Final4 momentum for first league win

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell had also remained pointless through their first three league matches – and had been short on luck along the way. All three defeats had come in the deciding doubles. Their strong showing at the Leapmotor Pokal Grand Opening, where they reached the Final4, had “given us confidence”, according to Andrei Istrate, after the team had not started the season as hoped. Following the clear 3–0 win over TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau, Istrate said they now wanted to “hopefully win many more matches”.

Star player Dimitrij Ovtcharov laid the foundation for the 3–0 victory over Grenzau, who were without their No. 1 Feng Yi-Hsin. The long-time Germany international was in complete control in a straight-sets win over Martin Allegro, while Jonathan Groth was equally convincing in beating Maciej Kubik 3–0. Fanbo Meng added the third point after the break with a 3–2 victory over Samuel Walker.

Standings: Ochsenhausen join Düsseldorf at the top

After four matchdays, two teams remain perfect in the TTBL. Record champions Borussia Düsseldorf had already secured their fourth win in four matches against Bergneustadt on Saturday, and Ochsenhausen followed on Sunday. Behind the leading duo, Saarbrücken, Dortmund and Bremen all sit on six points. The rest of the league have 2:6 records – Fulda even jumped up to sixth with Sunday’s victory. Grünwettersbach and Bad Homburg currently occupy the bottom two places.

Matchday 4 fixtures

TSV Bad Königshofen – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 0–3
André Bertelsmeier – Daniel Berzosa 2–3 (8–11, 11–8, 7–11, 13–11, 7–11)
Daniel Habesohn – Darius Movileanu 1–3 (8–11, 5–11, 11–7, 9–11)
Filip Željko – Iulian Chirita 0–3 (10–12, 9–11, 5–11)

TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 3–0
Dimitrij Ovtcharov – Martin Allegro 3–0 (11–3, 11–8, 11–7)
Jonathan Groth – Maciej Kubik 3–0 (11–9, 11–8, 12–10)
Fanbo Meng – Samuel Walker 3–2 (11–6, 11–8, 8–11, 5–11, 11–4)

ASC Grünwettersbach – Post SV Mühlhausen 2–3
Tom Jarvis – Steffen Mengel 3–2 (7–11, 6–11, 12–10, 11–6, 11–3)
Tiago Apolónia – Kay Stumper 2–3 (8–11, 7–11, 11–8, 11–7, 6–11)
Ricardo Walther – Ovidiu Ionescu 1–3 (11–9, 6–11, 10–12, 8–11)
Tom Jarvis – Kay Stumper 3–1 (11–3, 12–10, 7–11, 11–5)
Apolónia/Walther – Ionescu/Freitas 1–3 (8–11, 14–16, 12–10, 8–11)

TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg – Borussia Dortmund 2–3
Csaba Andras – Cedric Nuytinck 3–1 (9–11, 11–9, 11–6, 11–9)
Juan Perez – Anders Lind 0–3 (14–16, 8–11, 8–11)
Ivor Ban – Wim Verdonschot 0–3 (7–11, 7–11, 6–11)
Csaba Andras – Anders Lind 3–2 (11–13, 11–7, 11–6, 8–11, 11–9)
Benno Oehme/Ivor Ban – Adam Szudi/Cedric Nuytinck 2–3 (6–11, 11–9, 6–11, 11–5, 6–11)

1. FC Saarbrücken-TT – SV Werder Bremen 1–3
Eduard Ionescu – Mattias Karlsson 1–3 (8–11, 6–11, 11–6, 6–11)
Patrick Franziska – Kirill Gerassimenko 3–0 (11–3, 11–4, 11–9)
Álvaro Robles – Irvin Bertrand 1–3 (11–8, 8–11, 9–11, 13–15)
Eduard Ionescu – Kirill Gerassimenko 2–3 (7–11, 11–3, 9–11, 13–11, 6–11)

Borussia Düsseldorf – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt 3–1
Fan Zhendong – Romain Ruiz 3–0 (11–7, 11–7, 11–8)
Anton Källberg – Benedikt Duda 2–3 (7–11, 11–6, 12–10, 9–11, 11–13)
Dang Qiu – Adrien Rassenfosse 3–0 (11–4, 11–5, 11–2)
Fan Zhendong – Benedikt Duda 3–0 (11–8, 11–8, 11–8)

All matches are streamed live on Dyn.

The current Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) standings can be found here.

Photo: Iulian Chirita of TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen (photo: Vincenz Bendel).