Only a few weeks have passed since SV Werder Bremen (8-2, 16:4) lost its throne over Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) to Borussia Düsseldorf (8-2, 16:4).
After Thursday's 3-1 victory against TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell (5-5, 10:10), they’ve proven themselves as a threat to take it back for good.
Bremen, who has now won five of its last six matches, now ties Düsseldorf as the league’s top-seeded club. Three of Bremen’s four players participated in this match, with each of them winning one set.
Ruwen Filus (1) opened the match for Fulda, and he hit the ground running with an 11-6 victory over Bremen’s Irvin Bertrand (2). But before Filus could capitalize on his momentum, Bertrand took the next three games (11-7, 11-7, 11-3) to put Bremen on the board first.
With Bremen star Kirill Gerassimenko (1) set to take the table next, Fulda found itself in danger of taking an early 0-2 deficit. Dimitrij Ovtcharov (2) wasn’t about to let that happen. After winning a 14-12 nail-biter in the first game, Ovtcharov took the next two (11-8, 11-5) to tie the match.
With a chance to break the tie, Bremen sent out Mattias Falck (3) to face Fulda’s Fanbo Meng (3). Falck battled Meng before winning the first game 13-11, only to lose the next game 7-11. But after two consecutive wins (11-9, 11-8), Falck took down Meng to put Bremen back on top, 2-1.
Gerassimenko returned for the fourth set, eager to avenge his loss to Ovtcharov by closing out this match against Filus. And it only took three games (11-8, 11-4, 11-9) to defeat Filus and secure the win for Bremen.
Bremen hopes to add to its winning streak by defeating Post SV Muhlhausen (4-6, 8:12) in its next match on Sunday at 11 a.m. EST. Fulda aims to tip its even .500 record in favor of the win column on Sunday against TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau (3-7, 6:14).
Whether or not Bremen keeps the top seed depends on Düsseldorf’s upcoming match against 1. FC Saarbrücken - TT (7-3, 14:6) on Sunday at 8 a.m. EST. This match will be streamed on Table Tennis TV, which you can find online, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV. Sign up today on tabletennis.tv and receive a 30-day free trial.
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