(by Steve Hopkins)

You could argue that the two squads are moving in opposite directions.  Borussia Dusseldorf sits alone atop the standings (now 12-1) while Ochsenhausen has dropped from first to sixth (by dropping 6 of 7 of their most recent matches).  Both teams were not at full strength today – Dusseldorf was missing Timo Boll and Ochsenhausen played without Kanak Jha.

Even without Boll, Dusseldorf will be favored in every match this season – that is a part of having such a deep and talented squad.  Dusseldorf played today with Dang Qiu, Kristian Karlson, and Anton Kallberg.  Ochsenhausen had Simon Gauzy, Samuel Kulczycki, and Can Akkuzu.

The opening match was a 3-0 win for Dang Qiu (11-9, 11-3, 11-6).  The second match was close between Kristian Karlson and Simon Gauzy, with Karlson winning the first two games at 12-10 and then splitting the final two games to secure a 3-1 win.  The final win went to Dusseldorf when Anton Kallberg topped Sam Kulczycki 3-1.

Dusseldorf is 12-1 in the standings, and two full wins ahead of second place Saarbrucken.  Ochsenhausen has now dropped to sixth (two games off the pace needed to finish in the Top 4 – where only the top four teams play for the title at the end of the season).  The second half of the season has just started – so lots of German League action is still on the horizon.

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