Fan Zhendong narrowly loses after scoring only 2 points! The Bundesliga league scores another two 3-0 victories, with teammates losing three consecutive matches and dropping the ball again.

Ask AI · Why did Fan Zhendong still lose despite going undefeated for himself?

In the early hours of March 28, 2026, the German Bundesliga table tennis league held Round 20. Fan Zhendong of China’s national table tennis team once again represented the Saarbrücken club; he went scoreless for 2 points and kept Jing Qing Yu and Ferrus of the Fulda Mamberzeller Club on a continuous clean sheet, but his teammates lost three matches in a row, causing the team to lose. For detailed match action, see below.

【Match Highlights】

This season, Fan Zhendong has been Saarbrücken’s top athlete. Previously, he helped the team win the German Cup men’s team gold medal and reach the semifinals of the Champions League. Although it has already been confirmed that he will transfer to Düsseldorf, he will still stand ready for Saarbrücken in his final few assignments and strive to challenge for titles in the two major events.

The Fulda Mamberzeller club has some strength, but compared with Saarbrücken there is still a gap. However, this time both sides also had key players absent, so the outcome was hard to predict—and it indeed ended up being a tight, hard-fought contest.

【Match Process】

First game: Fan Zhendong 3-0 Meng Qingyu (12-10, 11-5, 11-8)；

Second game: A pas 0-3 Ferrus (9-11, 4-11, 8-11)；

Third game: Meisner 1-3 Meng Fanbo (11-8, 8-11, 9-11, 8-11)；

Fourth game: Fan Zhendong 3-0 Ferrus (11-3, 11-6, 11-6)；

Fifth game: Meisner/A pas 1-3 Meng Qingyu/Meng Fanbo (6-11, 8-11, 11-6, 9-11)。

In the first game, Fan Zhendong faced Meng Qingyu, a Chinese player in his fifties (who is also the coach of the Fulda Mamberzeller club). Although he was pushed into a crucial stretch in the first set, he ultimately steadied himself and took the win. Then he quickly won the next two sets in succession, keeping a clean sheet against the opponent.

But after that, the momentum gradually shifted to the Fulda Mamberzeller athletes: first, the chopper Ferrus shut out A pas; then Meng Fanbo—Meng Qingyu’s son, who has taken part in international events many times—also came through with a strong reversal to beat Meisner. As a result, Saarbrücken found itself trailing 1-2 in the overall score, entering a desperate situation.

In the fourth game, Fan Zhendong made his return and took on Ferrus. He immediately showcased exceptional ability against choppers. Not only did he fail to drop a set and again keep a clean sheet, but there was also not a single set in which Ferrus managed to score more than 6 points. The match was therefore dragged into a deciding fifth-game showdown phase—but according to the rules, Fan Zhendong could no longer play again.

The fifth game saw Meisner/A pas’s form still not ideal. As a result, against the “father-and-son duo” Meng Qingyu/Meng Fanbo, they fought hard across four sets but lost again. Saarbrücken therefore fell short with a final overall score of 2-3 against the Fulda Mamberzeller team and missed out on winning this match.