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Fan Zhendong’s Bundesliga Debut, TTBL Starts!

Published on 21 August 2025 3 minutes 3 minutes

The Bundesliga debut (TTBL) of Chinese table tennis star & current Olympic Champion Fan Zhendong drew global attention as he took the stage for 1. FC Saarbrücken TT in their home clash against Königshofen.

Fan Zhendong lost his first two singles matches against Roman Ruiz & Benedikt Duda. The only victory for Saarbrücken came from Darko Jorgic, who defeated Adrien Rassenfosse convincingly in straight games.

Former Chinese star Fang Bo, now TTBL commentator, underlined how rarely Fan struggles with serve reads:

“It was rare to see Fan misjudge serves more than 10 times in a single match.”

Fan Zhendong on His Bundesliga Move

Earlier Fan shared his decision to join Saarbrücken:

“It’s a very well-known top club. Back in 2016, I played the World Cup, and it left me with unforgettable memories. I’m really looking forward to coming back.”

Speaking about his goals, Fan said:

“I’m very happy to start this journey. I hope to help the club achieve good results. Everyone here has high expectations of me. For now, I just want to stay focused on my matches and deliver strong performances. I also believe my teammates will support me in reaching my best form.”

TTBL 2025 – Round 1 Results

The 2025 Tischtennis Bundesliga (TTBL) kicked off with thrilling encounters, including Fan Zhendong’s much-anticipated debut for Saarbrücken. Here’s a complete round-up of the first matchday.

Saarbrücken TT vs TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt (1–3)

Match	Result
Fan Zhendong vs Romain Ruiz	2–3 (11:13, 11:4, 11:9, 5:11, 6:11)
Eduard Ionescu vs Benedikt Duda	1–3 (11:9, 8:11, 4:11, 12:14)
Darko Jorgic vs Adrien Rassenfosse	3–0 (11:5, 11:4, 13:11)
Fan Zhendong vs Benedikt Duda	1–3 (9:11, 11:4, 5:11, 3:11)

Fan Zhendong’s debut saw flashes of brilliance, but Benedikt Duda proved too strong in the decisive encounter.

TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau vs TSV Bad Königshofen (3–1)

Match	Result
Luka Mladenovic vs Andre Bertelsmeier	1–3 (11:8, 8:11, 10:12, 4:11)
Martin Allegro vs Daniel Habesohn	3–1 (9:11, 11:8, 11:8, 11:1)
Samuel Walker vs Bastian Steger	3–2 (6:11, 9:11, 11:6, 23:21, 11:8)
Maciej Kubik vs Daniel Habesohn	3–1 (11:4, 12:10, 6:11, 11:7)

SV Werder Bremen vs TTC OE Bad Homburg (3–2)

Match	Result
Kirill Gerassimenko vs Jo Yokotani	1–3 (11:8, 14:16, 7:11, 5:11)
Irvin Bertrand vs Csaba Andras	3–2 (9:11, 11:8, 9:11, 11:9, 11:5)
Mattias Falck vs Juan Perez	3–1 (11:2, 11:8, 7:11, 11:3)
Kirill Gerassimenko vs Csaba Andras	2–3 (9:11, 11:9, 10:12, 16:14, 9:11)
Falck / Bertrand vs Oehme / Yokotani	3–0 (11:8, 11:6, 11:8)

TTC Fulda-Maberzell vs Borussia Düsseldorf (1–3)

Match	Result
Jonathan Groth vs Dang Qiu	0–3 (6:11, 4:11, 7:11)
Fanbo Meng vs Kanak Jha	0–3 (4:11, 5:11, 3:11)
Dimitrij Ovtcharov vs Li Yongyin	3–2 (11:7, 8:11, 11:6, 9:11, 11:6)
Jonathan Groth vs Kanak Jha	1–3 (11:13, 11:?, 8:11, 4:11)

TTF Ochsenhausen vs Borussia Dortmund (1–3)

Match	Result
Iulian Chirita vs Cedric Nuytinck	3–2 (4:11, 11:5, 11:9, 9:11, 11:5)
Tiago Abiodun vs Anders Lind	0–3 (7:11, 10:12, 4:11)
Andreas Levenko vs Kristian Karlsson	0–3 (4:11, 10:12, 9:11)
Iulian Chirita vs Anders Lind	0–3 (9:11, 7:11, 6:11)

Post SV Mühlhausen vs ASV Grünwettersbach (3–1)

Match	Result
Steffen Mengel vs Tiago Apolonia	3–1 (11:8, 9:11, 11:8, 11:7)
Kay Stumper vs Hiroto Shinozuka	1–3 (11:7, 6:11, 8:11, 3:11)
Marcos Freitas vs Ricardo Walther	3–1 (11:6, 11:13, 14:12, 11:5)
Steffen Mengel vs Hiroto Shinozuka	3–2 (12:10, 9:11, 11:8, 15:17, 11:2)