Derby Among Friends: OSC Falls Short Against SGU2 in Hard-Fought City Derby
September 20, 2026
A true city derby is defined by emotion, passion – and in the best case, by friendly rivalry.
That is exactly the spirit in which the match between OSC Düsseldorf 3 and SG Düsseldorf-Unterrath 2 took place. Even though the final score of 8:0 was decisive, it only partially reflected the fighting spirit and close duels on the courts.
In many sets, the two friendly clubs met as equals.
Three-Set Thrillers Put Nerves to the Test
From the start, it was clear that the visitors from Unterrath had a bit more match luck on their side that day. In the first men's doubles, Christian Becker and Manuel Menzel got off to a dream start, winning the first set 21-18. But William Wang and Yong-Hwan Noh adjusted their play and turned the game around with a commanding 12-21 and 10-21.
The women's doubles was similarly dramatic: Kimberly Koulou and Karina Rabe delivered a brilliant first game (21-17). But Laura Lin and Minna Lieske fought back strongly for Unterrath (10-21) and also took the decisive third set 14-21.
The second men's doubles with John Zickler and Alexander Ott, however, had to concede to the confidently playing pairing Dennis Klein-Helmkamp and Satoshi Kamimura in straight sets (12-21, 12-21).
Alexander Ott delivered a highly exciting and close match in the first men's singles against Dennis Klein-Helmkamp, but had to concede victory in both closely contested sets (18-21, 18-21) – each time losing the crucial endgame phase to the Unterrath team manager and today's number one in the side, who raised tempo and precision when it mattered most.
The emotional highlight in the singles came in the women's singles. In the decisive third set, Minna Lieske emerged victorious 21-14. In the remaining men's singles, the visitors ruthlessly demonstrated their class: Manuel Menzel found little answer to a strong William Wang in the second men's singles (6-21, 15-21) and Christian Becker had to concede to Satoshi Kamimura in the third men's singles with two 12-21 losses.
Clear finale in the mixed doubles: Yong-Hwan Noh and Laura Lin harmonised perfectly on the Unterrath side and gave the OSC pair John Zickler and Kimberly Koulou no real chance, winning 21-9 and 21-6.
Conclusion: OSC Düsseldorf 3 left the court with heads held high despite the 0:8 defeat. The team proved that it can fully compete against strong opponents in phases. SGU 2 secures its second consecutive 8:0 victory, making an excellent start to the season.