Pokal

At full strength, 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT once again showed their class, defeating Borussia Dortmund 3–0 just as they had done in the Bundesliga on Sunday. Led by superstars Fan Zhendong and Patrick Franziska, the Saarland side booked their ticket to the German Cup quarterfinals. For Dortmund, who once more had to do without their top players Anders Lind and Kristian Karlsson, there was no set to be won on Friday evening in the Joachim Deckarm Halle.

Saarbrücken lined up with Fan, Franziska and Darko Jorgic in their best formation – and left no doubt. Fan opened proceedings with a clear 3–0 win over Adam Szudi, producing several showpiece rallies and only briefly easing off in the third game. “It’s very tough to play against him. He doesn’t make mistakes, and then you want to take more risks and end up making more errors,” Szudi explained afterwards on Dyn.

The evening’s tightest match followed as Franziska faced his former teammate Cedric Nuytinck. Trailing 7–10 in the first game, he turned it around to snatch it 12–10 and carried the momentum into an 11–4 second game. In the third, Nuytinck fought back and saved five match points, but Franziska finally sealed it 15–13 and threw his arms up in relief. “The hall is packed every time, and that makes you a little more tense. But that’s why we play table tennis – it’s great fun,” Franziska said after his win.

Jorgic seals the deal

Darko Jorgic wrapped up the evening with a straight-sets victory over Alberto Mino, without ever needing to hit top gear. That confirmed Saarbrücken’s place in the quarterfinals. Only one more win now separates them from the Final Four of the German Table Tennis Cup, set to be played on January 4, 2026, in Neu-Ulm.

For Dortmund, attention now turns to the Bundesliga match against ASC Grünwettersbach on Sunday, while Saarbrücken will travel to Fulda the following day to face TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell.

Round of 16 Cup Games

1. FC Saarbrücken-TT – Borussia Dortmund 3:0
Fan Zhendong – Adam Szudi 3:0 (11:4, 11:2, 11:7)
Patrick Franziska – Cedric Nuytinck 3:0 (12:10, 11:4, 15:13)
Darko Jorgic – Alberto Mino 3:0 (11:9, 11:5, 11:4)

SV Union Velbert – 1. FSV Mainz 05 3:1
Wim Verdonschot – Nathan Lam 3:0 (11:4, 11:8, 11:6)
Timotius Köchling – Chia-Hung Sun 3:2 (11:4, 10:12, 7:11, 11:8, 11:6)
Anton Limonov – Daniel Berzosa 2:3 (6:11, 8:11, 11:7, 14:12, 7:11)
Wim Verdonschot – Albert Vilardell 3:2 (11:13, 11:4, 11:8, 7:11, 11:6)

1. FC Saarbrücken TT II – TTC OE Clarity Telefonie-Systeme Bad Homburg 1:3
Yuto Muramatsu – Benno Oehme 3:0 (11:9, 11:4, 11:4)
Eduard Ionescu – Csaba Andras 2:3 (11:7, 11:6, 7:11, 4:11, 6:11)
Dennis Klein – Ivor Ban 1:3 (9:11, 9:11, 11:8, 9:11)
Yuto Muramatsu – Csaba Andras 2:3 (10:12, 11:3, 6:11, 14:12, 9:11)

TTC indeland Jülich – TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau 0:3
Laurens Devos – Luka Mladenovic 0:3 (9:11, 10:12, 7:11)
Robin Devos – Feng Yi-Hsin 1:3 (7:11, 15:13, 5:11, 3:11)
Kas van Oost – Samuel Walker 0:3 (3:11, 5:11, 5:11)

Freitag, 19. September
19.30 Uhr: TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell – ASC Grünwettersbach

Samstag, 20. September
16 Uhr: TSV Bad Königshofen – Borussia Düsseldorf

Sonntag, 21. September
13 Uhr: TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – SV Werder Bremen
15 Uhr: Post SV Mühlhausen – TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt

Alle Games are broadcast live on Dyn.

Picture: Darko Jorgic of 1. FC Saarbrücken-TT (Photo: Ulrich Höfer)