Photo: The official website of German table tennis club Saarbrucken

Chinese table tennis Olympic champion Fan Zhendong's German club Saarbrucken announced on Thursday that the first two home-match tickets for the new season sold out quickly and that they would add temporary stands.

Tickets for the club's first two home league matches of the new season, against TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt and Borussia Dortmund, sold out quickly. As a special measure, the club has decided to add temporary stands for the first three home league matches of the new season. To give local fans a chance to buy tickets, the club will set up an onsite ticket sales point at its office, according to the club's social media.
 
The 28-year-old Fan joined Saarbrucken in June and will make his debut in the German table tennis league, the TTBL on August 31.
 
According to multiple German media outlets, Fan's move to Saarbrucken has created a sensation. Last season, the club's home matches drew only 400 to 600 spectators on average. But following Fan's arrival, the 2,000-seat home court has seen tickets sell out a month in advance. The club has also revealed that there is a possibility of moving some home matches to an alternative venue, which can accommodate more spectators.

"The club is currently being overwhelmed because of the new signing of Fan. We are already receiving countless ticket inquiries, including many from Asia," the club's head of organization Nicolas Barrois told the local media outlet ZDF in June.

Fan clinched both the men's singles and team gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the 11th player in history to achieve a career Grand Slam of the Olympic Games, World Championships, and World Cup.

Global Times