(by Steve Hopkins)

For Dusseldorf, who has lead the TTBL standings all year – making the Final is not a surprise.  And while Neu-Ulm’s potential all-star roster may have given some pause in the first half of the season, its been clear for several months that Saarbrucken would be favored to make the Final as well.  For Dusseldorf’s part, they topped Muhlhausen 3-0 twice in their Semifinal match and cruised through.  Saarbrucken had a tougher run, a pair of 3-1 wins and a 2-3 loss against Ochsenhausen.

But the Final is now set, and the teams will face off starting July 9.  These two foes are very familiar with each other – in fact, if you figure in both the mid-year and full-year tournaments, these two teams have now faced off against each other five times in a row.  And if anyone needs a reminder, Saarbrucken beat them in the European Champions League Final just eight weeks ago.

The rosters will be the same this time – with Darko Jorgic and Patrick Franziska leading the way for Saarbrucken, and the deeper Dusseldorf squad featuring Qiu, Boll, and Kallberg.  When the faced each other in the Champions League Final, Franziska and Jorgic were able to account for three wins in their team win, and Franziska and Jorgic each won one of the “Golden Match” points in the tie breaker.  That was enough to win.  However, in TTBL, ties are decided by doubles – and the doubles advantage will likely go to the deeper team (Dusseldorf).

Lots of excitement is scheduled for July.  Visit ButterflyOnline.com for the latest table tennis news and results