Saarbrücken gains self-confidence before the cup game
November 14th, 2024 – It was not a rewarding task for 1. FC Saarbrücken. On the evening before the cup quarter-finals, the Saarlanders had to compete against TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau in the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL). But they couldn’t take the league game lightly. FC didn’t get off to a good start in the Bundesliga. You should avoid further slip-ups. They succeeded against Grenzau – and how. The Saarlanders are now traveling to the cup game with a lot of tailwind.
It took five sets for the TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau to find its way into the game against 1. FC Saarbrücken. It was only in the sixth set of the evening that the TTC managed to meet the guests from Saarland on an equal footing – by then the game was almost over. In the first game of the encounter, Maciej Kubik didn’t find his way into the game at all. Eduard Ionescu, on the other hand, confirmed his current form. He is still unbeaten in four singles and gave Kubik just 13 points in three rounds.
And Patrick Franziska seemed to seamlessly continue his teammate’s performance. Against Patrick Baum, who is celebrating his comeback after a long injury break, Franziska quickly led 1:5, then 4:8. Baum came close again, but the lead from Saarbrücken was enough. In the second round he only left the Grenzauer three sets. Only in the last set of the game did Baum manage to stand up to the challenge. For the first time, a balanced set developed, with Baum even being ahead by two points (7:5 and 8:6). In the end, however, it was Franziska who also won this set and gave his team a 2-0 lead after just 40 minutes.
Luka Mladenovic celebrates his first success for Grenzau
If the spectators had to fear that it would be a very short evening of table tennis, Luka Mladenovic gave them hope again after the break. With 3-0 he defeated Yuto Muramatsu, who remained too passive for too long and only became more active with his counter topspins towards the end of the game. But Mladenovic, who was able to celebrate a victory in the Grenzau jersey for the first time this season, was no longer able to turn things around. Kubik couldn’t really pose a threat to Franziska either.
The German international was relieved at Dyn’s microphone after the game: “It was incredibly important for us today. We’re not that great in the table and we definitely want to move forward.” Saarbrücken is in seventh place after a mixed start to the season. “When we saw that Luka was playing against Yuto, Yuto wasn’t so happy at first. It was clear that we had to really step on the gas in the other games.” And he and Ionescu did that impressively. With a lot of self-confidence and tailwind, the Saarbrücken team continues to Cologne, where the cup quarter-finals will take place a day later on Friday (November 15th).
For Grenzau there will only be a home game against Fulda in two weeks. The seventh match day will conclude with three more matches on the weekend. Bergneustadt welcomes newly promoted Dortmund on Friday and Ochsenhausen and Bremen and Bad Homburg and Fulda play against each other on Saturday.
The 7th matchday at a glance:
TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT
Maciej Kubik – Eduard Ionescu 0:3 (5:11, 4:11, 4:11)
Patrick Baum – Patrick Franziska 0:3 (7:11, 3:11, 9:11)
Luka Mladenovic – Yuto Muramatsu 3:0 (11:7, 11:8, 11:8)
Maciej Kubik – Patrick Franziska 0:3 (7:11, 6:11, 5:11)
Borussia Düsseldorf – Post SV Mühlhausen 3-0
Dang Qiu – Irvin Bertrand 3:1 (11:3, 4:11, 11:7, 11:8)
Anton Källberg – Ovidiu Ionescu 3:0 (11:5, 11:5, 11:5)
Timo Boll – Steffen Mengel 3:1 (11:9, 9:11, 11:8 11:4)
ASC Grünwettersbach – TSV Bad Königshofen 3:2
Leo from Nodrest – Martin Allegro 3:0 (13:11, 12:10, 11:9)
Louis Price – Bastian Steger 0:3 (3:11, 8:11, 6:11)
Guilherme Teodoro – Jin Ueda 3:2 (11:8, 11:7, 7:11, 10:12, 11:9)
Leo of Nodrest – Bastian Steger 2:3 (11:5, 6:11, 5:11, 11:9, 4:11)
Walther/Teodoro – Allegro/Ueda 3:0 (11:8, 11:7, 11:8)
TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt – BV Borussia 09 Dortmund, Friday 7 p.m
TTC Liebherr Ochsenhausen – SV Werder Bremen, Saturday 3 p.m
TTC OE Bad Homburg 1987 – TTC Rhönsprudel Fulda-Maberzell, Saturday 5:30 p.m
All TTBL games will be broadcast live and on demand Dyn transmitted.
To the table.
(TTBL)
