Exactly eight weeks after winning the German championship for the 34th time, Borussia Düsseldorf started the 2024/25 Bundesliga season today. The new season began as the old one ended: with a victory for Borussia. The opening match at the ARAG CenterCourt saw a clear, but very close and exciting 3-0 win against ASC Grünwettersbach.
Anton Källberg won the first rally at Borussia’s season opener. But it took five whole sets before he could clench his fist in victory. At first, the Swede seemed to have no problems with his opponent Guilherme Teodoro. But the young Brazilian took good advantage of the silver medalist from Paris’s small weaknesses, winning the third set and the fourth straight after. In the fifth set, a different Källberg was at the table: strong, uncompromising and lightning-fast, he only allowed the Grünwettersbach player a single point and gave Borussia the 1-0 lead.
The first act of Timo Boll’s farewell tour ended with a win against Ricardo Walther. However, the match was not for the faint-hearted. The two fought a duel on equal terms. Walther, the most successful player in the league last season, took the lead in the first set. Boll equalized and then went ahead himself 2:1. In the fourth set, the Grünwettersbach player was better again. In the decisive final set, both stayed close, but with a composure and overview that only Timo Boll can boast, the match then went to Düsseldorf.
The game went into the break with a 2-0 lead and then Dang Qiu faced Leo De Nodrest. In his Bundesliga debut, the Frenchman approached the game without respect. Qiu, who seemed a bit sluggish at the beginning, clearly felt this in the form of a 2-0 deficit. But the penholder player found his way into the game just in time and was able to equalize at 2-2. Like the two previous matches, the fifth set was decisive. Both players showed determination, but in the end Qiu deservedly came out on top. A good return from the 27-year-old brought victory in this match and in this encounter. Borussia Düsseldorf managed a 3-0 victory in the opening match against an ASC Grünwettersbach that put up a strong fight for two and a half hours.
Voices about the game:
Timo Boll, Borussia Düsseldorf:
“We won 3-0, but it could have gone the other way. So we’re glad we brought the game home. I was feeling a bit rusty, I took a two-week break after the Olympics. The basic feeling at the beginning wasn’t what you’d want it to be. Then I tried to get the basics right: clean returns that Rick can’t convert straight away, decent topspins, good movement. That worked and I got more confidence in my game and in the end it was, I wouldn’t say top class, but passable.”
Ricardo Walther, ASC Grünwettersbach:
“It wasn’t as clear as it sounds. All three games were in the fifth set and it would have been okay if we had won one. But in the end, Düsseldorf’s quality prevailed and we have to make sure that we score points in the other games.”
The results at a glance:
Borussia Düsseldorf – ASC Grünwettersbach 3:0
Anton Källberg 3:2 (11:9, 11:6, 6:11, 9:11, 11:1)
Timo Boll – Ricardo Walther 3:2 (5:11, 11:2, 11:5, 7:11, 11:9)
Dang Qiu – Leo De Nodrest 3:2 (10:12, 10:12, 11:7, 11:8, 11:8)
Foto: Jörg Fuhrmann
