Borussia Düsseldorf clinched their 33rd German club championship in front of their home crowd. The record champions secured a 3-1 victory in the Liebherr TTBL Final against 1. FC Saarbrücken TT at Castello in Düsseldorf captivating an audience of 2 700 enthusiastic spectators.
In the Champions League final Düsseldorf and Saarbrücken had crossed paths before with a narrow victory for Saarbrücken in the spring after the home and away matches as well as the Golden Match securing their first TTCLM (Table Tennis Champions League Men) triumph in club history. Patrick FRANZISKA played a key role back then and he once again took center stage in the Liebherr TTBL Final although this time as the narrowly defeated player. In a match that had spectators on the edge of their seats Franziska initially led 2-0 against Anton KÄLLBERG and later in the deciding set with scores of 8-3 and 10-8. Saarbrücken had their sights set on victory. However KÄLLBERG managed to secure a 3-2 victory (7-11 7-11 11-9 11-6 12-10) putting Borussia on the path to victory.
Following KÄLLBERG’S opening victory Dang Qiu followed up with a 3-1 win (11-8 11-1 10-12 11-1) against Darko JORGIC giving the Düsseldorf fans hope for a perfect afternoon. In the third match Timo BOLL made his comeback after nearly a five-month forced break due to a shoulder injury but he couldn’t secure the crucial victory for the title. The German table tennis legend suffered a 1-3 defeat (6-11 11-8 9-11 9-11) against Takuya JIN.
“It’s a team sport and in the end we won ” summarized BOLL celebrating his 13th German team championship. “I’m very proud of the team. Anton and Dang put on a great performance. Overall I’m satisfied with our team effort and also with my body for enduring the strain.”
With the score at 1-2 Saarbrücken briefly harbored hopes of winning their second German championship after their triumph in 2020. However KÄLLBERG carried the confidence from his opening victory into the top singles match against JORGIC sealing the title fight with a 3-0 win (11-8 12-10 11-9).
“We had a very good season ” said Borussia coach Danny Heister reflecting on the championship and the team’s finals appearances in the Champions League and German Table Tennis Cup. “We set up the team exactly as we wanted. I am very happy about the title although it all still needs to sink in.”
Borussia Düsseldorf – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 3:1
Anton KÄLLBERG – Patrick FRANZISKA 3:2 (7:11 7:11 11:9 11:6 12:10)
Dang QIU – Darko JORGIC 3:1 (11:8 11:1 10:12 11:1)
Timo BOLL – Takuya JIN 1:3 (6:11 11:8 9:11 9:11)
Anton KÄLLBERG – Darko JORGIC 3:0 (11:8 12:10 11:9)
