What’s new from the HYLO® Sports family
The past week has once again been full of challenges for our #hyloathletes. We take a look back at the last eight days’ events and competitions featuring our athletes, teams and clubs.
1. FCS Tischtennis continues its winning streak – with a playoff place secured
With a run of three wins in seven days, 1. FC Saarbrücken Tischtennis is continuing its impressive streak in the Tischtennis Bundesliga (TTBL) and has thus not only secured first place in the league after 19 days of play, but has also definitively claimed a playoff place as one of the top four teams in the league, played after the end of the main round as a final-four end tournament for the German championship.
After an extended Bundesliga break in February due to international tournaments and the team world championships in South Korea, standard league play restarted for the Saarland team last Wednesday (28 February 2024) with the 16th day of TTBL play and an away game against Post SV Mühlhausen. With a top lineup, FCS TT prevailed 3:1. After a 2:0 lead thanks to two easy wins by team captain Patrick Franziska and Yuto Muramatsu, Darko Jorgic was then forced to concede his match in five sets, before Japanese player Muramatsu secured the third win for the league leaders in a five-set battle.
Two days later on Friday (1 March), the reigning Champions League winners from Saarbrücken were hosted by TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen for an away game. With 3:0 against Ochsenhausen and their second win in three days to kick off the 17th day of play, the reigning championship runners up consolidated their lead in the Tischtennis Bundesliga (TTBL) and secured early entry to the playoffs. Captain Patrick Franziska put the Saarbrücken team on a winning track with a victory in the first singles match. In the second match, Eduard Ionescu battled the newly crowned world championship runner up from France Simon Gauzy to a 3:2 win, giving FCS Tischtennis a lead heading into the break. Yuto Muramatsu then secured the third point and 3:0 for the Saarland players with a quick game.
Yesterday (Monday 4 March), the team under coach Wang Zhi then celebrated their third win in seven days. 1. FC Saarbrücken Tischtennis remains on the ideal path to enter the German championship playoffs as the TTBL table leader. FCS TT were able to score a surprisingly decisive win their early clash against TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt in the Joachim-Deckarm-Halle on the 19th day of play. Reigning championship runner-up Cedric Meissner gained the first point. Japanese defence specialist Yuto Muramatsu the supplied the second point for Saarbrücken. Finally, Darko Jorgic chalked up a 3:1 win against Adrien Rassenfosse to score the final point of the match and a 3:0 home win, consolidating their lead in the table, especially as the second placed team Düsseldorf suffered a surprise loss at the weekend.
Thanks to three wins in close succession and a points total of 28:4, Tischtennis Bundesliga (TTBL) table leaders Saarbrücken are the first team to definitively score a finish in the top four and thus a place in the playoff tournament, even if they lose all of their remaining matches in the main round. Before the Champions League final tournament on home turf (31 March / 1 April; tickets available here), securing a playoff place means that the defending champions can begin focused preparations on the highlight of the international season.
The next league game for FCS Tischtennis is on 19 March, playing at home against SV Werder Bremen.
Füchse Berlin stay at top of the table – and reach the last sixteen in Europe
A defeat in the main round second leg last Tuesday (27 February 2024) prevented Füchse Berlin from gaining direct entry to the European cup quarter-finals. The Berlin team lost 28:32 (17:17) to Sporting CP in Lisbon (Portugal) in the EHF European League. The Portuguese team were able to celebrate direct entry to the quarter-finals, whilst Füchse enter the last sixteen to battle for their quarter-final slot. Before the game, the stakes were clear: Füchse had to win by two goals or more, or score at least 33 goals, to win the group and gain a direct place in the quarter-finals. However, the capital team were only able to keep pace until half time in this match between the two leading group IV teams, and ultimately the top Portuguese club earned a well-deserved victory.
After a hard-fought 31:31 draw in their top game against SG Flensburg-Handewitt and their defeat by Sporting CP Lisbon in the EHF European League, Füchse were then seeking to restart their winning streak on Sunday (1 March 2024). The capital team faced HC Erlangen in a home game for the LIQUI MOLY Handball-Bundesliga. Jaron Siewert’s team were playing their league competitors from Franconia from for the third time this season. First, Füchse Berlin gained a 38:35 win in the DHB Cup last October after a great battle in extra time, before securing points again four days later in the league at 35:27 (18:12). The Berlin team also managed to win their third encounter: on Sunday Füchse beat HC Erlangen 39:32 (20:15) at home in front of 8,503 spectators to remain at the top of the LIQUI MOLY HBL league. The game’s best scorer was a phenomenal Mathias Gidsel, with 14 goals. Füchse also had some good news to report in terms of personnel: Fabian Wiede celebrated his comeback after five months of injury in the 20th minute of play, to huge applause from fans. Matthes Langhoff was also back on home turf after three months away due to injury.
After this win over Erlangen, the table leaders have little time to recover: on Tuesday 5 March at 8:45 p.m. in the Max-Schmeling-Halle, Füchse will be playing their last EHF European League group game against CSM Constanta, then Sunday (10 March) sees a vital clash in the fight for the championship – an away game against second-placed league team SC Magdeburg.
SVE loses a home game, but remains optimistic
On Sunday (3 March 2024), SV Elversberg had to concede their first home defeat in 2024 on the 24th day of play in the 2. Fußball Bundesliga. They suffered a clear 3:0 home hammering against fellow promoted team SV Wehen in front of 8,000 spectators in the URSAPHARM arena on Kaiserlinde. The Elversberg team, who were short of substitutes, were unable to give coach Horst Steffen a 55th birthday present. The coach did not want to use the current squad issues to excuse this ‘bad day’, although Hugo Vandermersch (fifth yellow card), Semih Sahin and Maurice Neubauer (both ill) were all absent in addition to the players known to have long-term injuries. The coach and his team want to quickly draw a line under this weak performance, and are remaining optimistic and focused on their strengths as they tackle their upcoming challenges. More details in our post-match report.
The Saarland team are in 11th place in the 2. Bundesliga table with 32 plus points, putting them eight points above the relegation zone. On Sunday (10 March), Elversberg will be facing SpVgg Greuther Fürth for an away game.
Saarlouis Royals lose trial run against Nördlingen
In the last game of the Damen Basketball Bundesliga main round on Sunday (3 March 2024), Saarlouis Royals lost a truly epic battle against Eigner Angels Nördlingen 72:78 (Q1: 12:23, Q2: 24:22, Q3: 28:11, Q4: 8:22) in the Stadtgartenhalle. The Saarland team were able to keep the game open for a long time in front of a home crowd, and headed into half-time with a narrow lead. Shortly before the end, the game turned into an epic battle that the Royals ultimately had to concede. With 1:51 remaining on the clock and the score at 70:72, the visiting team took the lead and then did not relinquish it until the final buzzer.
The top scorer for the Saarlouis Royals was Isabelle Spingola with 23 points (9 rebounds, 2 assists, 25 efficiency points), followed by Jaelynn Penn (14 points, 2 assists, 3 steals), Destiny Littleton (10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist) and Sanja Mandic (9 points, 8 assists, 2 steals, 22 efficiency points).
Despite losing the game, Saarlouis Royals were able to retain eighth place in the table. The final away game of the main round is now crucial to secure a playoff place: a win would put the Royals in the playoffs. Saarlouis Royals’s next match is on 9 March in the H2K-Arena against Herner TC.
The Saarlouis team’s loss to Nördlingen was also a failed trial run for the DBBL POKAL-TOP4 on 16 March in Saarlouis. For the final four of the 2023/24 season DBBL cup, which the Royals are hosting at home, the Saarland team will face Eigner Angels Nördlingen once again in the semi-finals. Sometimes, a bad dress rehearsal means a good opening night.
Tickets for the DBBL cup TOP4 on 16 and 17 March 2024 in Saarlouis are available from the Saarlouis Royals ticket shop.
Gabriel Clemens out of the UK Open early
Saarland darts pro Gabriel Clemens was eliminated from the UK Open in Minehead (England) in his first match on Friday (1 March 2024). During the evening session for the fourth round, the German Giant started his tournament against Dutch player Danny Noppert and lost his opening match 10:8. The German number one initially had the game under control and headed into the break with 6:4 legs following a 12-darter. He was then able to further consolidate his lead, but things changed from the 15th leg onwards. Clemens failed to hit 20 points and Noppert broke away to an 8:7 lead. A 140 finish gave the Dutchman the next leg, and he gave his opponent no opportunity for a decider with 13 darts.
BC Bischmisheim at the YONEX German Open 2024
Last week (27 February to 3 March 2024), several BC Bischmisheim players competed with the German badminton federation (DBV) at the YONEX German Open 2024 in Mühlheim an der Ruhr. Mark Lamsfuß and Marvin Seidel (1. BC Wipperfeld/1. BC Saarbrücken-Bischmisheim) put in a particularly strong performance. The 2022 European champions, seeded sixth, reached the men’s doubles final eight for the first time at the DBV’s most important tournament. However, after a strong battle, the pair were beaten by third-seeded Chinese pair He Ji Ting/Ren Xiang Yu (ranked 14 in the world). After plenty of spectacular rallies, the team ranked 29th in the world lost the quarter-final 21:15, 20:22, 15:21 to the Asian players.
Unfortunately, none of the other German pairs competing for a place in the YONEX German Open 2024 quarter-finals were able to secure a win. Reigning European championship runners-up Linda Efler/Isabel Lohau (both 1. BC Saarbrücken-Bischmisheim; ranked 37 in the world) lost in the last sixteen to seventh seed Hsu Ya Ching/Lin Wan Ching from Taiwan (ranked 27 in the world) with a score of 14:21, 12:21.
The reigning European mixed doubles champions Mark Lamsfuß/Isabel Lohau (1. BC Wipperfeld/1. BC Saarbrücken-Bischmisheim; ranked 32 in the world) had to concede defeat to third-seeded pair Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet from Hong Kong (ranked 8 in the world) 21:18, 15:21, 21:14 in an exciting last sixteen match.
The last sixteen match day was particularly bitter for Jan Colin Völker/Stine Küspert (TV Refrath/1. BC Saarbrücken-Bischmisheim): this DBV pair, ranked 51st in the world, were forced to retire 16 minutes into their clash against Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai (ranked 6 in the world) after Küspert suffered a knee injury. At this point, the top-seeded mixed doubles team from Thailand were leading the opening set 19:14.
We wish Stine all the best and a healthy recovery.
For the athletes in the DBV squad, this tournament in Mühlheim was a warm-up for their home European championships in Saarbrücken, which will soon be offering some spectacular badminton play in Saarland. From 8 to 14 April 2024, Saarland will be in the spotlight of European badminton, as the European Championships take place in Saarbrücken’s Saarlandhalle. For many participants, the tournament means more than just competing for European championship medals – it is also an opportunity to gain vital qualification points for the Olympic Games in Paris. The European Championships promise not only elite sport, but also a thrilling experience for fans.
Tickets for the 2024 European Badminton Championships are available here.
We are looking forward to upcoming appearances from our #hyloathletes and wish all of our HYLO® partners much luck and success.