(by Steve Hopkins)

When Kanak Jha joined TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt, he joined a solid squad with Romain Ruiz and Benedikt Duda,  On paper, that should have resulted in a middle-of-the-pack team without a stand-out star.  Since his arrival, things have changed for Bergneustadt.  The team is currently in fourth position, and Jha is having by far his best season in the TTBL.

The top four teams will make the playoffs, and right now Ovtcharov’s Fulda squad is in first at 12-2, the loaded Dusseldorf team is in second at 10-4, Bremen’s team with Falck and Gerassimenko is in third at 10-4, and Bergneustadt is holding on to the fourth position (with tie-breakers that place it ahead of Konigshoven, Ochsenhausen, and Saarbrucken).

What started with a team without a stand-out star, has turned into a season with two stand-outs.  Benedikt Duda has caught fire in pro events and has jumped all the way up to World No. 18 (currently the third highest German player).  As this season progresses, he will have opportunity to play more for the team – and if he continues to play well, the team will get even better.

Of primary interest to  American fans, USA’s Kanak Jha is currently 10-2 and while there are some other players with higher winning percentages, he has won more matches in the German League than any player except for Dimitrij Ovtcharov.  Jha is in the middle of a season-long run that has him performing as one of the most elite players in one of the strongest professional leagues in the World.

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