China's Fan falls short on Bundesliga debut as Saarbrucken suffers loss

SAARBRUCKEN, Germany - Chinese table tennis star Fan Zhendong endured a tough start to life in Germany's Bundesliga on Sunday, as Saarbrucken lost 3-1 to Schwalbe Bergneustadt in the opening round of the season.

Fan lined up as Saarbrucken's first singles player against Bergneustadt's Romain Ruiz. The match turned into a roller-coaster battle, as Fan, facing an opponent he had never played before, was put under severe pressure right from the start. By the decisive fifth game, he was still struggling to find his rhythm and eventually went down 3-2.

In the second singles match, Saarbrucken's Eduard Ionescu fell 3-1 to Benedikt Duda, leaving the home side trailing 2-0. Darko Jorgic pulled one back with a commanding 3-0 victory over Adrien Rassenfosse, but hopes of a comeback faded when Fan lost to world No. 8 Duda 3-1.

Still reeling from his earlier loss, Fan was unable to regain his touch, allowing Bergneustadt to clinch the tie 3-1 overall.

"The difficulties were perhaps greater than expected, but we will work together to help Fan gradually adapt and integrate," Saarbrucken head coach Wang Zhi told Xinhua.

Saarbrucken's next match will be away at TSV Bad Konigshofen on September 6.