Two German squads face off and see the underdog emerge victorious.
The Tischtennis Bundesliga (TTBL) Rückrunde kicked off on Sunday, 5th January, with Borussia Düsseldorf facing TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt. However, it was not the start Borussia had hoped for, as they suffered a 1:3 defeat.
Borussia's manager, Andreas Preuß, expressed his disappointment, stating that the loss would be a long and tough road to the playoffs. The defeat puts Borussia's table leadership at risk, as TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell, coached by Meng Qing Yu, has a chance to take over the top position if they win against TSV Bad Königshofen on Monday, 6th January.
Coach Danny Heister anticipated a challenging match against TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt, and his predictions proved accurate. The team from Bergneustadt dominated the match without their reigning vice-European champion, Benedikt Duda.
In the singles matches, Timo Boll lost to Adrien Rassenfosse, 1:3, and Kay Stumper struggled against Romain Ruiz (Wrl. 254) and couldn't find his rhythm or gain control during the match, eventually losing 1:3. Dang Qiu (Wrl. 9) had trouble containing his future teammate, Kanak Jha (Wrl. 58), who plays a blisteringly fast game. Dang Qiu lost his match against Jha, 3:2.
Heister acknowledged that the team needs to improve despite a good training week. The loss further puts Borussia's table leadership at risk.
Anton Källberg, ranked World Ranking 16, was unavailable due to shoulder problems, and youngster Kay Stumper (Wrl. 77) was called up as the top player. Stumper also lost his doubles match with Jha, 1:3.
Jha's fast game caused trouble for Dang Qiu, indicating that the upcoming merger of the two teams might be an exciting development to watch.
Despite the loss, Bergneustadt played well and deserved their victory against Borussia Düsseldorf. The TTBL Rückrunde promises to be an exciting and closely contested season, with teams battling for every point.
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