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The men’s 30 team of TC Bad Vilbel, led by Sven Wanka, are 1:3 behind after the singles against TC Schöneck. However, the decision has been made to award the doubles by walkover. Each team receives one point – of course, not enough for the Wetterau team. © Nicole Merz
(kun). In the Tennis Association League, the women’s II team of TC Bad Vilbel suffered a bitter 3:6 home defeat in the basement duel against direct table neighbours TC Rot-Weiß Gießen on the penultimate match day of the Meden game round. This means that the Brunnenstadt women are still in acute danger of relegation ahead of the season finale at FTC Palmengarten next weekend.
The women’s 40s from Sportwelt Rosbach have already been relegated – the 3:3 draw at TC Stierstadt on the last match day was not enough for the team led by team captain Silke Severis. There was also nothing to be gained for the Bad Vilbel men’s 30s against Schöneck (2:4) and the women’s 60s in Wiesbaden (0:6) as well as the men’s 50s from Ober-Mörler TC in Seulberg (2:7). In contrast, the men’s 50s from TC Heilsberg celebrated their first win of the season at the fifth attempt in their home game against MSG Burgholzhausen/Köppern.
Women (6-a-side), Group 2, TC Bad Vilbel II – Rot-Weiß Gießen 3:6: After the singles losses of Meret Wilde (2:6, 0:6), Alina Lepper (2:6, 3:6), Anastasia Milanovic (6:3, 0:6, 6:10) and team captain Finja Mahl (3:6, 6:2, 1:10), the Brunnenstadt team went into the doubles with a 2:4 deficit. Dilara Sarsik (6:2, 6:2) and Sophie Liebig (6:4, 6:4) won their duels in straight sets. Liebig also had the upper hand alongside Mahl in the doubles with 6:3 and 6:2. For the TCBV pairing Wilde and Lepper (1:6, 0:6), however, there was nothing to gain, while Sarsik and Milanovic (3:6, 6:2, 6:10) only narrowly had to bow to the Giessen team in the match tiebreak.
Women 40 (4-person), Group 24, TC Stierstadt – Sportwelt Rosbach 3:3: After a season without a win up to that point, the away game in Stierstadt was the Rosbach team’s last chance to stay in the league. “We needed a win for that – unfortunately we weren’t granted that,” said Sportwelt spokeswoman Claudia Schmidt, who got off to a promising start with a 6:1, 6:1 win in her singles, as did Katja Lekic (6:2, 3:6, 10:5). However, Michaela Ceyran (5:7, 0:6) and team captain Silke Severis (3:6, 3:6) were subsequently defeated by their opponents, so the doubles match ended in a 2:2 draw. The victory of the Schmidt/Lekic doubles pairing (7:6, 6:3) was dampened by the fact that Severis and Mahner (3:6, 1:6) had already lost their match at that point. Without a win and with only two draws, the Rosbach team finished the season with 2:10 points. “Looking back, we have to be self-critical and say that we could have achieved more in one or two of the matches and that it would have been enough to stay in the league. But that’s just how it is in sport: in the end, points and victories are what count,” said Schmidt.
Women 60 (4-person), Group 41, Grün-Weiß Wiesbaden – TC Bad Vilbel 6:0: Despite the clear result, the Brunnenstadt team put in a good performance against the unbeaten league leaders from Wiesbaden. Antje Langebarthels (4:6, 0:6) and TCBV team captain Rosa Kempchen (0:6, 1:6) were defeated in straight sets in their singles, but the matches of Constanze Matthaei (6:4, 1:6, 9:11) and Ute Gräber-Seißinger (6:1, 2:6, 10:12) were much closer and were only decided by a very narrow margin in favor of the state capital team. The guests’ third defeat of the season was thus already certain before the doubles. As a result, there was nothing to be gained for the TCBV pairings Kempchen/Gräber-Seißinger (1:6, 0:6) and Langebarthels/Fuegner (2:6, 1:6).
Men 30 (4-person), Group 63, TC Bad Vilbel – TC Schöneck 2:4: Johannes Brandenburger (5:7, 2:6) and Maximilian Becker (2:6, 3:6) lost their singles matches, as did Sven Wanka (1:6, 2:6). Jan Kuckuck (1:6, 6:2, 10:4) prevented the early decision in favor of the guests from Schöneck with his victory in the match tiebreak, but the doubles were not played out as a result. Two wins here would have meant a draw.
Men 50 (6-person), Group 81, TC Seulberg – Ober-Mörler TC 7:2: The decision in favor of the hosts had already been made after the defeats of Markus Schmidt (3:6, 2:6), Sven Nockmann (6:2, 4:6, 4:10), Jürgen Keemss (0:6, 0:6), Steffen Lorenz (1:6, 2:6) and Albrecht Wittner (2:6, 0:4) in the singles. Only Roland Schempp (6:4, 6:3) held the flag high for the guests from Wetterau with his victory. Nockmann and Gräber (7:6, 7:6) scored the second match point of the day in the doubles. The OMTC pairings Schmidt/Keemss (0:6, 3:6) and Lorenz/Schempp (4:6, 3:6) came away empty-handed.
Men 50 (4-man), size 89, TC Heilsberg – MSG Burgholzhausen/Köppern 5:1: With three straight two-set victories in the singles, Mark Behrendt (6:1, 6:3), Steffen Weber (6:1, 6:3) and team captain Welf Melchert (6:1, 6:0) laid the foundation for Heilsberg’s first win of the season. Dirk Buss (0:6, 2:6) had to admit defeat in his match. The Heilsberg pairings Buss/Melchert (6:3, 6:3) and Behrendt/Weber (6:4, 6:1) also won the doubles with ease. “This means the chances of staying in the league are much better again,” says Melchert, looking ahead to the season finale against TG Schauenburg next weekend.
