Until recently, one team in Germany's über-competitive Tischtennis Bundesliga has had an ace up their sleeve. Even better, TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen had a pair of aces. In the event of a 2-2 tie with another team, Bundesliga matches are decided via a doubles match for all the marbles. Through Week 6, Ochsenhausen have turned to the Polish pair of Maciej Kubik (pictured, left) and Samuel Kulczycki (right) to get them out of jams. Already generating a buzz by equaling perennial powerhouse Borussia Düsseldorf's 3-0 start, Ochsenhausen had battled to a 2-2 tie with TTC Neu-Ulm in Week 4. With perfection on the line, the world #491 Kubik and #361 Kulczycki defeated Portugal's world #59 Tiago Apolonia and #218 Lev Katsman of Russia, 3-1. In Week 6, this time challenged by SV Werder Bremen, Kubik and Kulczycki again preserved perfection. In the tiebreaker, they overcame world #45 Kirill Gerassimenko of Kazakhstan and #65 Marcelo Aguirre of Paraguay, again by a convincing 3-1 score. The September 5 match kept Ochsenhausen on Düsseldorf's heels, each 6-0 but the latter given top ranking by dint of a superior game record. After a month off due to the Europe Top 16 Cup, European Team Championship and other continental commitments, the Bundesliga resumed action today with Week 7 matchups. Ochsenhausen took on a hungry TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell squad captained by world #16 Quadri Aruna of Nigeria. Aruna proved worthy of the captain's hat with wins over Kubik and Ochsenhausen's captain, world #19 Simon Gauzy of France. Gauzy got Ochsenhausen on the board with a win over world #36 Ruwen Filus, a German defender with a dangerous forehand loop. US men's champion Kanak Jha, world #30, continued his ascent in the Bundesliga individual standings with a win over France's world #144 Alexandre Cassin. With an 8-2 record, Jha now stands second in the entire league, trailing only Düsseldorf's Swedish star Anton Källberg's perfect 7-0 start. Thus, it was once again 2-2 with perfection on the line. Kubik and Kulczycki took on Cassin and world #235 Fanbo Meng of Germany. After splitting the first two games, one expected the Polish pair to find their form. Today, however, it was not to be, as Cassin and Meng ran away with the match, 3-1. Just like that, Kubik and Kulczycki's perfect record was over, and with it, Ochsenhausen's. Although this is no doubt disappointing for Gauzy's gang, nothing really changed in the Bundesliga standings. Ochsenhausen is still solidly in second behind Düsseldorf, who are now 7-0 after today's sweep of TTC OE Bad Homburg. The top four teams make the end-of year playoffs. The only thing that really changed is that the dynamic duo of Maciej Kubik and Samuel Kulczycki have been relieved of their aura of invincibility. This could have serious implications if Ochsenhausen were to find itself in a 2-2 tie in the playoffs, perhaps against Düsseldorf in the finals. Will Ochsenhausen's aces once again come up aces? Stay tuned!

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