The playoff matchups for this year's Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) are set: On Saturday evening, on the 22nd and final matchday of the regular season, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT and TSV Bad Königshofen secured the remaining spots in the semifinals. Meanwhile, disappointment prevailed at TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell, whose season ended in fifth place following a defeat in Mühlhausen. Saarbrücken will now face TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen in the playoffs, while Bad Königshofen will take on Borussia Düsseldorf.
Three teams were vying for the last two available playoff spots on the final matchday of the TTBL season. In the end, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT and TSV Bad Königshofen emerged victorious—even though they were facing each other directly. The first of the remaining semifinal tickets was secured by Saarbrücken with a dominant victory in Lower Franconia, which ultimately earned them third place in the standings. Eduard Ionescu (3:0 against Bastian Steger), Darko Jorgic (3:2 against Filip Zeljko), and Patrick Franziska (3:1 against Jin Ueda) quickly wrapped up a 3:0 win, bringing relief to the FCS officials.
Bad Königshofen had to wait a bit longer. After their defeat, the Franconians turned their attention to Mühlhausen, where TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell needed a win to break into the top four. However, the Hessians' hopes were dashed, leading to celebrations in Bad Königshofen: Fulda lost 2:3 at Post SV Mühlhausen and finished the season in fifth place, narrowly missing the playoffs. With 26:18 points, Fulda ended just behind Bad Königshofen and Saarbrücken (both 28:16). In Mühlhausen, Dimitrij Ovtcharov once again demonstrated his class, winning both his singles matches (3:0 against Daniel Habesohn, 3:2 against Steffen Mengel). However, the hosts claimed victory in the other matches. Habesohn and Ovidiu Ionescu secured the win with a 3:1 doubles victory over Kao Cheng-Jui and Fanbo Meng after Mengel (3:0 against Kao) and Ionescu (3:0 against Meng) had already won their singles matches.
Düsseldorf Remains First Despite Defeat in Dortmund
In the playoffs, Bad Königshofen will face Borussia Düsseldorf. The record champions lost 1:3 at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday but remained at the top of the table. Like TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen, Düsseldorf finished with 32:12 points but had a slightly better game ratio (53:33 vs. 55:36). In Dortmund, Timo Boll was the only point scorer for Düsseldorf: The table tennis superstar, currently in his final season, won 3:1 against Cedric Nuytinck at position three. Previously, Anders Lind (3:1 against Kay Stumper) and Li Yongyin (3:2 against Borgar Haug) had put BVB ahead. Lind later secured Dortmund’s eighth victory of the season by winning the top match 3:0 against Haug, capping off their debut TTBL season in ninth place.
"I know I can't win every match anymore," said Boll afterward. "So I'm happy about every victory. Today, I worked hard and am pleased that I managed to win. But in the end, the team performance counts, and unfortunately, we lost. Now we will try to prepare as best as possible for the playoffs."
Ochsenhausen Loses and Faces Saarbrücken
The other semifinal will see Saarbrücken take on TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen, a rematch of the Liebherr Cup final from January, where Ochsenhausen secured a 3:1 victory. On Saturday, TTF lost 0:3 at SV Werder Bremen. Without Hugo Calderano and Simon Gauzy, Ochsenhausen failed to win a single set. Werder clinched the clear victory with wins from Mattias Falck (3:0 against Bogdan Pugna), Kirill Gerassimenko (3:0 against Leonardo Iizuka), and Andrei Putuntica (3:0 against Tiago Abiodun). The exact playoff schedule will be announced in the coming days.
"Our goal for the season was to secure our place in this strong league as quickly as possible," summed up Werder coach Cristian Tamas. "Finishing sixth with 24:20 points, having opportunities to move up, and participating in the Final Four of the cup—we can look back on a positive season."
Bergneustadt and Grünwettersbach Also Celebrate
TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt and ASC Grünwettersbach also concluded their seasons on a high note. Bergneustadt secured a 3:1 victory at TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau, finishing eighth in the table with 20:24 points. Despite Kanak Jha conceding his match against Patrick Baum by default, Romain Ruiz (3:2 against Samuel Walker) and Benedikt Duda (3:0 against Luka Mladenovic, 3:0 against Walker) sealed the win.
Meanwhile, Grünwettersbach wrapped up their campaign with a 3:1 victory over TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg, ending with an even 22:22 record. Kristian Karlsson initially put Bad Homburg ahead with a 3:0 win over Tiago Apolonia, but Grünwettersbach responded. The 18-year-old Chang Yu-An equalized with a 3:1 victory against Yuma Tsuboi, followed by Ricardo Walther (3:0 against Csaba Andras) and Leo de Nodrest (3:0 against Tsuboi) securing the team's eleventh win of the season. "This conclusion perfectly reflects our entire season," said ASC coach Achim Krämer. "With an even record, we played an outstanding season. It was a great finish for us."
Matchday 22 Results at a Glance
ASC Grünwettersbach – TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg 3:1
Post SV Mühlhausen – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 3:2
Borussia Dortmund – Borussia Düsseldorf 3:1
SV Werder Bremen – TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 3:0
TSV Bad Königshofen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 0:3
TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt 1:3
Source: TTBL