A beautiful tradition revived! After a long (corona-related) dry spell, it was time again this year - the German University Championships took place from 19.05 to 21.05.23. One of the highlights of the table tennis calendar, both in sporting and social terms. Well over 100 players traveled to Tübingen, including 11 from Karlsruhe's universities. The high-caliber field of participants also included many players from the 2nd and 3rd Bundesliga.

In addition to the two singles competitions, there were also doubles, mixed and team competitions. Kiara Maurer and Lisa Klett competed in the women's team. Best-of-5 matches were played. After a successful group phase, they faced the duo from Bonn in the quarter-finals. In a high-quality, hard-fought match, they ultimately prevailed 3:1 and secured a medal! The favorites from Cologne awaited them in the semi-finals. The match started at eye level, while Lisa was unlucky to lose after leading 2:0, Kiara won her opening single to tie the score at 1:1. But then, unfortunately from Karlsruhe's point of view, Cologne showed why they were the favorites and ultimately won deservedly 3:1. Cologne later won the overall tournament and Karlsruhe finished in a strong 3rd place in the team competition.

The next day, it was on to the individual competitions. With Jan Ebentheuer, Julius Aichert, Henry Müller, Lisa Klett, Luis Mugele and Niklas Braun, 6 players made it out of the group stage and into the main draw. There, however, the high level of competition made itself felt. Julius Aichert went furthest, reaching the round of 16. Here he faced Dwain Schwarzer from the University of Leipzig, who plays for SV Brackwede in the 3rd Bundesliga. Under the eyes of the fans from both universities and the mayor of Tübingen, they played an exciting match. After trailing 0:2, Julius managed to close the gap to 1:2, but David held his nerve and won the fourth set 11:9. Several Karlsruhe duos also made it through to the round of 16 in various doubles competitions, where they were only stopped by the eventual medal and title winners.

In addition to the sporting side, the social side of the championships was also a complete success. On the one hand, it was great to see the veterans from the pre-corona era, but also many new faces from all over Germany. In addition, thanks to the event team, both the food and accommodation were well taken care of.
So to conclude, a big thank you to the Tübingen team and the ADH for the great organization and the smooth running of the tournament.