(by Steve Hopkins)
Borussia Dusseldorf and rival Saarbrucken were again matched in the Final of this year’s Liebherr TTBL Final. The result was a 3-1 win for Dusseldorf as their secured their 34th German League Championship.
For most of their matchups in recent years, the Dusseldorf squad has had the advantage on paper – with Dang Qiu, Timo Boll, and Anton Kallberg leading the way, usually with the top two players in the rankings. However, with the rise of Patrick Franziska (who is now the highest ranked German player), the Saarbrucken squad’s one-two punch (Franziska at No. 9 and Jorgic No. 19, and Meissner as their third) stronger than any top-two that Dusseldorf could present. In recent years, it has been Dusseldorf dominating the regular season, but at the European Champions Final, it was Saarbrucken taking the title.
Today the script was reversed, with Dang Qiu winning 3-1 over Franziska. Jorgic then evened the match with a 3-2 win over Boll. Kallberg won three straight over Meissner to give Dusseldorf the advantage. Qiu then closed the door with a 3-2 win over Jorgic.
Borussia Düsseldorf – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 3:1
Dang Qiu – Patrick Franziska 3:1 (6:11, 11:7, 11:4, 11:4)
Timo Boll – Darko Jorgic 2:3 (6:11, 9:11, 11:4, 11:8, 13:15)
Anton Källberg – Cedric Meissner 3:0 (11:8, 11:9, 11:8)
Dang Qiu – Darko Jorgic 3:2 (9:11, 11:0, 11:8, 10:12, 11:4)
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