(by Steve Hopkins)
Borussia Dusseldorf is hanging on to the top spot in the German League. Their league best record is 13-3, but with two losses in as many weeks they are losing ground to FC Saarbrucken (who are now 12-4). Ochsenhausen has fallen a position and is now two wins off the pace at 10-6, and Bad Koenigshoven and Muhlhausen each have 9 wins. Neu Ulm, the mid-year tournament champion, continues to struggle to field their strongest team – and without their stars, the team is a very average 7-9 (a dangerous team within striking distance of making the Final Four and qualifying for the end of year tournament).
Last week, Dusseldorf fell to Grenzau 2-3 with a red hot Yi Hsin Feng winning both singles matches and then Grenzau winning the doubles. But then Dusseldorf topped Ochsenhausen three days later to get back on track. Both Dusseldorf and Ochsenhausen are suffering with injuries and absent players – with Ochsenhausen playing that important match without Gauzy or Kanak Jha, and Ochsenhausen missing Boll. Saarbrucken has been on a tear – topping Mainz and Fulda both at 3-0. Ochsenhausen has fallen a spot after losing two in a row – but they have more favorable matches on the horizon. Expect to see all three of these team in the Final Four event at the end of the year.
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