This is how the opening victory at Hertha BSC was achieved

The table tennis players of TV Hilpoltstein have had a perfect start to the season: One week after being knocked out of the cup, the Franconians smashed their way to a 6:4 win against Hertha BSC in Berlin. The 20th Bundesliga year could hardly have started better for the TV.

The conditions for success in Berlin were not exactly the best. Last year, the Hilpoltstein team had a classic false start with a crushing 1:6 defeat in the capital. And the unsuccessful cup appearance a week ago was not likely to spark euphoria. Added to this were personnel concerns, as Matthias Danzer and Alexander Flemming were doubtful for the first match day. But both were able to play in Berlin, meaning that TV could compete with its best line-up.

Danzer and Perez hold their ground

The match started very promisingly. Hilpoltstein’s flagship doubles team Alexander Flemming and Petr Fedotov suffered a 0:3 defeat, without expecting the successes in the final phase of the previous season. But at the next table, Matthias Danzer and Juan Perez really exceeded their own expectations and defeated the Berlin duo Torben Wosik and Krisztian Nagy 3:1. The opposing doubles team is well-rehearsed and has a clear division of tasks: Hungarian Nagy sets the pace with his smashes, while Wosik sets the rhythm. But Danzer and Perez did not let themselves be put off and kept their nerve, especially in the first set, which they won with a record-breaking 22:20 points.

And things were to get even better for the two TV youngsters. Danzer’s first victory over former national player Wosik was particularly pleasing. Berlin’s grand seigneur is well versed in all tactical matters. His positioning, his change of pace and his overview of the game make him a very unpleasant opponent even at 50 years of age. But Danzer from Schwabach played aggressively and gave his prominent opponent no chance in the high temperatures in the hall on Bernauer Strasse in the 3-0 win. “Matthias stayed active and didn’t let up,” Hilpoltstein’s department head Ulrich Eckert was very impressed by his protégé’s performance. Praise that Danzer had truly earned. The 19-year-old is on the verge of establishing himself as a permanent fixture in the single-tier second Bundesliga as the club’s first junior player. Danzer also won his second match of the day against Marius Henniger (3-0).

Since the Spaniard Juan Perez also didn’t let anything go wrong (3:0 against Henninger, 3:1 against Wosik), the back pair collected all four points. In addition, there was the point in the doubles – a rare constellation, at least in Hilpoltstein’s recent past. “That’s outstanding,” Eckert cheered.

Fedotov wins against Nagy

The sixth point was contributed by Petr Fedotov, who put in an excellent performance in a three-set victory against Nagy. He had no chance against Christian Pletea, who came from the first division team Werder Bremen. Pletea had previously played for Grenzau and Saarbrücken in the upper echelons of German table tennis, but never really made the breakthrough. Now the Romanian is making a new attempt in the lower house of table tennis. In addition to Fedotov, Alexander Flemming also felt the hard way that he is probably one of the best there.

The captain came away empty-handed on Saturday, although he certainly didn’t disappoint. His match against the Hungarian Nagy was like a rollercoaster ride. In the third set, Flemming was 6:10 behind after leading 6:2, but came back to win 14:12. It was clear that the party would go the full distance of five sets. Flemming seemed to be on the road to victory at 5:0, before Nagy suddenly hit every ball and came out on top. “That wasn’t for the faint-hearted,” Eckert said after the match, taking a deep breath.

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Statistics: Nagy/Wosik – Perez/Danzer 1:3 (20:22, 11:8, 9:11, 7:11), Pletea/Henninger – Fedotov/Flemming 3:0 (11:6, 11:9, 11:6 ), Pletea – Flemming 3:1 (11:9, 11:13, 11:7, 11:7), Nagy – Fedotov 0:3 (2:11, 9:11, 7:11), Wosik – Danzer 0 :3 (8:11, 12:14, 7:11), Henninger – Perez 0:3 (6:11, 10:12, 3:11), Pletea – Fedotov 3:0 (11:9, 11:9 , 16:14), Nagy – Flemming 3:2 (11:9, 8:11, 12:14, 11:8, 11:8), Wosik – Perez 1:3 (7:11, 17:15, 7:11, 6:11), Henninger – Danzer 0 :3 (10:12, 9:11, 3:11).