Fan Zhendong wins first title in Germany: Saarbrücken wins the Liebherr Cup Final Four
1.FC Saarbrücken TT celebrated its first success in its triple mission: at the Liebherr Cup Final Four on Sunday, Fan Zhendong's team secured the German Table Tennis Cup for the third time in the club's history. In front of 5,200 fans at the ratiopharm arena in Ulm/Neu-Ulm, Saarbrücken celebrated a 3:1 victory in the final against TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell.
Fan Zhendong took note of his victory with almost frightening routine. The Olympic champion had just kept Dimitrij Ovtcharov at bay 3:0 in the Liebherr Cup Final Four, opening the door wide for 1. FC Saarbrücken TT to win the title. A quick fist pump, a nod, a wave to the audience in front of the numerous Asian fans – Fan, calm and down-to-earth as usual, showed no more emotion than that at that moment. Yet he had every reason to be euphoric: on Sunday, Fan added another trophy to his long list of titles, his first in Germany.
Saarbrücken defeated TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 3:1 at the ratiopharm arena Ulm/Neu-Ulm, thus setting the first milestone on its triple mission. With the signing of Fan in the summer, FCS not only triggered a table tennis hype throughout Germany, but also catapulted itself into the position of favourite in all competitions. The Saarbrücken team still has further title chances in the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) and Champions League this season: in the TTBL, the Saarland team is on course for the play-offs in second place in the table, while in the Champions League they will face GV Hennebont TT in the quarter-finals.
Third cup win for Saarbrücken after 2012 and 2022
‘I am very happy about winning the title,’ said Fan afterwards. ‘It was my first Final Four and it was a lot of fun. Today was a special moment in my career. I hope to be able to participate in this event again in the future.’
For Saarbrücken, it was the third cup victory in the club's history after 2012 and 2022. In the past two years, FCS had lost in the final, in 2024 against Borussia Düsseldorf (0:3) and in 2025 against TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen (1:3). A total of eight trophies now adorn the display case of the reigning Champions League winners. Fulda, on the other hand, once again missed out on winning the title for the first time. Between 2013 and 2016, TTC competed in the cup final four times in a row, losing to Borussia Düsseldorf each time. Nevertheless, TTC coach Qing Yu Meng was generally satisfied with his team's performance. ‘Saarbrücken has three absolutely top players, and it's very difficult for us against each of them,’ he said. ‘Congratulations to Saarbrücken. Despite the defeat, I am very proud of my players, they gave their all.’
Franziska: ‘I am very proud of the team and the entire club.’
Fans Triumph against Ovtcharov was the overture to a spectacular, high-class final. Fulda did not give up after the defeat of Germany's ‘Mr Olympia’ and made a sensational comeback. Ruwen Filus played at the highest level against Franziska and did not let himself be unsettled by the powerful attacks of the Saarbrücken player. Filus came back again and again, for example after trailing 8-10 in the first set and 0-6 in the second. In the fifth set, the Fulda player finally fended off a match point from Franziska to eventually level the score for TTC at 3-2 with a 14-12 win. ‘I gave it my all – and was rewarded,’ said Filus afterwards. However, the following singles matches belonged to the favourites again: Darko Jorgic beat Fanbo Meng 3:0, and Fan followed up with a 3:0 victory over Filus to win the cup.
‘We felt more pressure than in previous years,’ said Franziska about Saarbrücken's role as favourites. ‘The title was our big goal. That's why I'm very proud of the whole team and the whole club – also because we were always there for each other. We've come a long way, which was crowned today with the cup victory.’
‘Happy with the silver medal’: Fulda congratulates Saarbrücken
Before their triumph in the final, Saarbrücken had held the defending champions at bay in the semi-finals. The FCS beat TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen 3:1. “You can tell that everyone is fired up,” said Franziska, referring to Saarbrücken's hunger for the title even before the first serve. Only double world champion Shunsuke Togami (3-0 against Darko Jorgic) managed a victory for Ochsenhausen.
Fulda defeated TTC OE Bad Homburg 3-2 in the parallel match. The Taunus team led by legendary coach Helmut Hampl had sensationally eliminated record cup winners Borussia Düsseldorf (3-2) in the quarterfinals, making them the big surprise of the current cup season. “Overall, we can draw a positive conclusion. We wanted to reach the final, and we did that,” said Filus. “We have to acknowledge that Saarbrücken was the better team and therefore deserved to win. So overall, we are very happy with the silver medal.”
5,200 fans set a new record
The fans created a fantastic atmosphere, once again flocking to the Liebherr Cup Final Four in droves and setting a new attendance record. 5,200 spectators ensured a sell-out crowd and, thanks to their vocal support, created a title-worthy atmosphere. “We experienced a great Final Four with an outstanding atmosphere and world-class table tennis,” said Nico Stehle, Managing Director of Tischtennis Bundesliga GmbH. "We are very happy and pleased with this event and, I can already say today, we will be back at the ratiopharm arena again next season. Because we are receiving tremendous support from the entire region. A big thank you for the tremendous commitment goes to the cities of Ulm and Neu-Ulm, to the numerous sponsors and partners, and to all the helpers without whom this event would not have been possible."
Not only was the enthusiasm in the ratiopharm arena huge, but so was the media response. Once again, the Liebherr Cup Final Four achieved a wide reach. All three matches of the day were broadcast live on Dyn and are available there as re-live broadcasts and in various highlight formats. In addition to the national broadcast, the event was also shown worldwide in various countries, including China, where TTBL matches are regularly broadcast. The highlights of the Liebherr Cup Final Four will be shown on ARD's Sportschau and in a 30-minute special broadcast on Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR), as well as in various news formats on Südwestrundfunk (SWR) and Hessischer Rundfunk (HR).
The Liebherr Cup Final Four at a glance
Final
1. FC Saarbrücken TT – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 3:1
Fan Zhendong – Dimitrij Ovtcharov 3:0 (11:9, 11:9, 11:8)
Patrick Franziska – Ruwen Filus 2:3 (10:12, 11:8, 11:9, 7:11, 12:14)
Darko Jorgic – Fanbo Meng 3:0 (11:6, 11:9, 11:8)
Fan Zhendong – Ruwen Filus 3:0 (11:8, 11:3, 11:6)
Semifinals
TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 1:3
Shunsuke Togami – Darko Jorgic 3:0 (11:9, 11:9, 11:1)
Tiago Abiodun – Fan Zhendong 1:3 (5:11, 9:11, 13:11, 5:11)
Iulian Chirita – Patrick Franziska 1:3 (11:6, 8:11, 8:11, 4:11)
Shunsuke Togami – Fan Zhendong 1:3 (12:10, 8:11, 6:11, 5:11)
TTC OE Clarity-Telefonie Systeme Bad Homburg – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 2:3
Jo Yokotani – Dimitrij Ovtcharov 0:3 (5:11, 8:11, 7:11)
Csaba Andras – Ruwen Filus 0:3 (11:13, 7:11, 10:12)
Ivor Ban – Jonathan Groth 3:1 (8:11, 11:9, 11:8, 11:6)
Jo Yokotani – Ruwen Filus 3:2 (5:11, 6:11, 11:9, 11:7, 11:7)
Ivor Ban/Csaba Andras – Dimitrij Ovtcharov/Fanbo Meng 2:3 (8:11, 11:4, 11:9, 11:13, 3:11)
Note: You will find pictures from the Liebherr Cup Final Four 2026 in the appendix (photo: BeLa Sportfoto).