Tennis Bundesliga
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Weekend of truth for blue and white
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The Italian Stefano Travaglia, currently number 100 in the world rankings, is not participating in a tournament this week and wants to prevent relegation with the HTC Blue-White.
Photo: Lammertz, Thomas (lamm)
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Krefeld The Krefeld tennis Bundesliga club will fight relegation on Friday (1 p.m.) in Rosenheim and on Sunday in the home game against Cologne (11 a.m.). The number 1 Stefano Travaglia leads the Stadtwald team on both days.
There will be plenty of excitement on the last two days of the tennis Bundesliga. The race for the title will probably only be decided on Sunday, when the table runner-up TC Großhessenlohe receives the leader Grün-Weiß Mannheim. It’s even more exciting on Friday from 1 p.m. in the relegation battle. Because all teams from fifth to ninth are in danger of falling into league two. And right in the middle is the HTC Blau-Weiß Krefeld. Only with two wins on Friday in Rosenheim and on Sunday in the home game against Cologne (start of the game at 11 a.m.) can the club still manage to stay in the class on its own. Maybe even the match points decide in the end.
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It’s been a long time since the blue-whites had to fight relegation. In 2010 and 2011 they lost the fight and were relegated after the last game day. But because nobody wanted to move up from the second division, the Krefeld team stayed in the upper house. In the following three years, the HTC reached the saving bank as table eight only on the last match day after a sometimes dramatic final. Since 2015 things have gone up steeply.
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“We play with the best players available,” said team boss Hajo Ploenes on Thursday before he set off for Rosenheim. At the weekend he can draw on a seven-person, purely Italian line-up. Krefeld’s number 1 Stefano Travaglia will lead the team on Friday and Sunday. In Rosenheim, Federico Gaio, Andrea Collarini and Flavio Cobolli or Andrea Arnaboldi should also ensure the important away win. Marco Cecchinato might also join the team on Sunday. However, he is number 1 at the Challenger tournament in San Marino and will only play his quarter-final game on Friday. Paolo Lorenzi is definitely expected in the city forest. It is quite possible that the likeable Italian and audience favorite will come to Hüttenallee for the last time. The almost 40-year-old is as good as before the end of his professional career.
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The starting position of the blue-whites is clear. “We only look at ourselves and want to prevent the descent ourselves,” says press spokesman Jörg cells. Although the Rosenheimers are beyond good and evil, the surprisingly strong climber wants to make life difficult for the Krefeld team, bid farewell to their own fans with another victory and move up to third place on the table. With the victories against Mannheim and at the Gladbacher HTC, the team impressively demonstrated its strength. The Slovenian Aljaz Bedene is said to be number 1 against Krefeld.
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When looking at the table and the pairings of the last two game days, it becomes clear that there are several variants for Krefeld to stay in the league. Newcomer Neuss can get rid of all worries on Friday with a victory at the bottom of the pack, TuS Sennelager. For Düsseldorf, the grapes are initially high in Mannheim, but are considered favorites on Sunday at home against TuS Sennelager. Cologne and Aachen are also a long way from being off the hook.
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Maybe there will be a final on Sunday in the city forest in the Rhenish derby between Krefeld and Cologne. Then the fans of the blue and white should get a ticket early. Because there are only 500 viewers allowed to be tested, recovered or vaccinated. The blue-whites need support from the ranks, especially in the current situation. Because the relegation battle is new territory for the team’s players.
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