Borussia Düsseldorf’s title defence in the German Cup came to an abrupt end on 29 August, as the reigning champions lost 1–3 away to last season’s winners, TTC Ochsenhausen, in the round-of-16. For Fan Zhendong, a night of high drama ended in a narrow five-game defeat to Japan’s Shunsuke Togami — a first loss to his long-time rival.

Källberg swept aside in the opener

Ochsenhausen’s top player Shunsuke Togami set the tone in the opening match, overpowering Anton Källberg in straight games (11-8, 11-8, 11-6) to put the hosts ahead. Düsseldorf trailed 0-1.

Fan Zhendong levels the tie

The former world No. 1 answered in the second rubber, beating Romania’s 21-year-old Andrei Movileanu (world No. 139) 3-1 (11-4, 11-13, 11-8, 11-2). After dropping a tight second game, Fan recovered from 0-4 down in the third and closed out the fourth emphatically to level the match at 1-1.

Qiu Dang’s surprise defeat hands over the lead

World No. 11 pen-holder Qiu Dang then slipped to a shock 2-3 loss (11-13, 13-11, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11) against Romania’s world No. 73 Darius Chiriță, despite leading 4-1 in the deciding game. The unexpected defeat pushed Düsseldorf into a 1-2 hole.

A thriller, and a first win for Togami

Everything came down to the fourth rubber — the marquee collision between Fan Zhendong and Shunsuke Togami. The pair had met five times before, with Fan winning every encounter. This time was different.

Togami stormed through the opening two games (11-4, 11-8) to lead 2-0. Fan rallied, taking the third 11-8 and a tense fourth 11-9 to force a decider. In a seesaw final game the two traded leads before Togami held his nerve on the big points to close it out 13-11, winning 3-2.

The result was Togami’s first career victory over Fan, ending a run of five straight defeats, while Düsseldorf bowed out of the German Cup at the last-16 stage. In another round-of-16 tie, Fürda beat Velbert Union 3-1 to advance.

Regret and respect

It was a painful exit for a Düsseldorf side that lifted the German Cup in 2025. The team’s overall display fell below its usual standard — Källberg was overpowered, Qiu Dang’s loss proved costly — and the single-elimination format leaves no margin for error.

Yet amid the disappointment there was plenty to admire: Fan Zhendong’s fighting spirit, the courage to claw back from two games down, and the quality of a classic duel with a worthy opponent. Both players gave table tennis fans a match to remember. Düsseldorf will now turn their focus to the Bundesliga and the Champions League, while their supporters will be hoping to see Fan back at his best soon. Best wishes to all involved — the sport is richer for such contests.