Both Chinese teams top group to reach last 16 at Busan table tennis world team championships
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China's Chen Meng serving to Uzbekistan's Rimma Gufranova at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan on Feb 17, 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BUSAN, South Korea – The Chinese men’s and women’s teams both finished as group winners with a perfect four wins to reach the last 16 at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships here on Feb 19.
Sending their top three players to the court, China shut down Croatia, their biggest threat in the men’s group stage, in straight sets.
Coming out of the gate first, Fan Zhendong broke open a 5-5 tie with five unanswered points to emerge victorious 11-6 in the first game against Tomislav Pucar.
Pucar, ranked 48th in the world, used his ferocious forehand to gain the upper hand at 10-8 in the second game, but top-ranked Fan held his nerve to save two game points on his way to a 12-10 win.
Fan kept piercing his Croatian opponent’s defence with his backhand flicks. After the two paddlers went neck and neck for a 9-9 tie in the third game, he kept his cool to bag two points to prevail.
“When we fought until the last points in the second and third games, I kept my patience at that time, so it was a good test for me to win these two games,” commented Fan.
Second-ranked Wang Chuqin dispatched Filip Zeljko 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 to earn the defending champions a two-match lead.
World No. 3 Ma Long showcased his attacking firepower in rapid exchanges against Frane Kojic, taking the first two games 11-8, 11-4 in the first two games. The Croat’s form then escalated as he built a 9-5 lead in the third game, but the 35-year-old notched six points in a row to ensure China’s group-leading finish without dropping a set.
“Trailing in the third game, I didn’t ponder much over making adjustments, while seeing it slip off my hand. I just fought for every point,” Ma explained.
The competition format sees eight group leaders per gender qualifying directly for the round of 16, while second- and third-placed teams in each group will cross swords for the remaining eight berths.
China’s Fan Zhendong facing Belgium’s Cedric Nuytinck at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan on Feb 16, 2024.
Discussing the upcoming knockout phase, the Chinese trio highlighted the importance of concentration.
“The knockout stage leaves little space for errors, and you will get punished if you make mistakes, so I have to be more cautious in the second stage and make better preparations,” said Fan.
Wang noted: “Playing against strong sides like Belgium and Croatia helps me better prepare for the next stage.”
Ma said: “You need to get into the rhythm of the game more quickly in the second stage, as there will be no time for adjustment.”
Singapore’s Zeng Jian serving to Romania’s Elizabeta Samara in their Group 7 match at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan on Feb 18, 2024.
In the women’s event, China concluded the group stage also with a perfect record after conquering Hungary 3-0.
Chen Meng started their quest as the reigning Olympic champion dispatched Dora Madarasz 11-5, 11-3, 11-3.
“As it is my third match in the Busan event, I feel that I’m fitting better into the atmosphere and space game after game,” the world No. 3 said.
Sun Yingsha was next to hit the court, and the world No. 1 overwhelmed Mercedes Nagyvaradi 11-2, 11-5, 11-2.
“After encountering some problems in our first match (against India when they won narrowly 3-2), I’ve been playing better and better. As the second stage approaches, we will embrace it with a better mentality and go all out with our concerted efforts,” she remarked.
In her second appearance in Busan, the second-ranked Wang Yidi saw off Bernadett Balint 11-8, 11-5, 11-6.
“In my first match (against India when she was shocked 3-0 by Sreeja Akula), I was a bit impatient,” she admitted. “After losing it, I did better in adjusting my mentality.”
The men’s and women’s play-off and round-of-16 matches will take place on Feb 21.
Meanwhile, Singapore’s women’s team stayed in contention for a place in the knockout phase when they beat Canada 3-1 on Feb 19.
Zhou Jingyi lost 3-2 to Zhang Mo, but her teammates rallied to turn the tide. Zeng Jian delivered two 3-0 wins over Jessie Xu and later Zhang, to sandwich Wong Xin Ru’s 3-1 victory over Ivy Liao.
The Republic face Serbia in a must-win match on Feb 20 to qualify for the play-offs, while the men’s team take on Canada on the same day, with their place in the round of 24 virtually assured after stunning Brazil and cruising past Malaysia. Xinhua
