Chinese and German gamers in motion through the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup second stage in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, December 8, 2023. /CFP
China and South Korea turned the one two groups unbeaten on Friday on the ongoing International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Mixed Team World Cup after they downed Germany 8-1 and Japan 8-4, respectively.
In a match in opposition to second-seeded Germany, China took a 2-1 lead in blended doubles as world No. 1 pair Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha overcame Cedric Meissner and Wan Yuan 8-11, 11-7, 11-2. Wang Manyu prolonged China’s lead by successful 11-2, 11-5, 11-4 in opposition to veteran Shan Xiaona in ladies’s singles. Olympic champion Ma Long dominated in straight video games over Ricardo Walther within the males’s singles, propelling the hosts to their seventh straight victory for the reason that inaugural occasion began on Monday.
Given the three-way battle for the crown previous to Friday’s matches, the showdown between Japan and South Korea was essential in figuring out the eventual winner.
The two groups had been tied at 3-all after the blended doubles and girls’s singles. South Korea pulled forward as Jang Woo-jin battled to beat Tomokazu Harimoto September 11, 13-11, 11-9 in a tightly contested males’s singles match, earlier than teaming with Lim Jong-hoon to safe South Korea’s victory after defeating Harimoto and Shunsuke Togami 11-8, 11-9, 11-1.
Also on Friday, France defeated Chinese Taipei 8-3, and Sweden swept apart Slovakia 8-0.
On Saturday, China will face Japan whose loss earlier put them into third place with 9 factors, whereas South Korea tackle Germany. Slovakia will face Chinese Taipei, and Sweden will conflict with France.
On Sunday, the workforce with the most effective total consequence within the round-robin second stage will declare the title.
(With enter from Xinhua)
Source: CGTN