HSG DHfK Leipzig and USC Leipzig are in difficult times after their promotions

Leipzig. “It was a lot of fun,” says Merle Krachudel about HSG DHfK’s first home double match day in the 2nd Badminton Bundesliga. The Leipzig team lost 6-1 twice, first against TuS Geretsried and then against Neuhausen-Nymphenburg. Two weeks earlier they had already lost 0:7 in Freystadt and 1:6 in Marktheidenfeld. But just because of the atmosphere in the Raschwitzer Straße sports hall in front of more than 100 spectators at the home games, the promotion to the second league in the summer was worth it, emphasizes Krachudel. Even though the HSG DHfK is in last place in the table with four defeats from the first four matches.

The team leader of the 1st team explains that one thing was clear from the start: the 2nd Bundesliga adventure could be a big challenge. After all, nothing has changed in the Leipzig squad. The badmintonis compete 100 percent with amateurs, while the opposing teams often fly in imported players. In addition, the HSG players faced the strongest teams right from the start. “We just need a little more time to acclimatize,” says Merle Krachudel.

University giants have “imported players” in their squad for the first time in years

The USC basketball players also started with zero points from the first two games after promotion – before the team celebrated their first win against the Aschaffenburg Baskets on Saturday with 87:62. In the summer, coach Darren Stackhouse’s team finally made it to the fourth-class 1st Regional League. The university giants, who now have the name sponsor Baurado, have only lost twice, but the defeats were very rough with the 70:98 in Breitengüßbach and especially with the 62:107 in Veitshöchheim. For Stackhouse, however, there is no reason to panic, because the American native also sees the first two opponents as the Pro-B relegated teams (Breitengüßbach) and last year’s season winners (Veitshöchheim) as the strongest teams in the league.

The university giants are also currently missing important players, such as the injured top talent Mika Siegert or the new center Fabian Hahn. In addition, some experienced top performers such as Benjamin Shibru, Daniel Pollrich and Miguel Angel López-Barcelay ended their careers after the past season – at least in the first team. Because USC’s second team was also promoted in the summer and is now playing where the first team was before: in the 2nd regional league.

Darren Stackhouse is still in good spirits that the university giants can finish at least fourth in the final standings and thus take part in the playoffs, which would also mean staying in the league. After all, with the Spaniard Pablo Martínez Serrano and the Brazilian Feliciano Neto Perez, the Leipzig team has “imported players” for the first time in years, although they were not lured to the Pleiße with a lot of money, but are completing their studies at the University of Leipzig and playing basketball on the side .

And the university giants haven’t been able to use one thing yet: their home strength. Because of the game plan, they had to play away three times before they were finally allowed to play in the Bruderhalle at home this Saturday (October 19th, 3 p.m.). Then it’s all about Saxon supremacy in this league in the derby against the Dresden Titans 2.

LVZ