At the Asian Table Tennis Team Championships in Bhubaneswar, India, China’s men rallied from a 0-2 deficit to beat archrivals Japan 3-2 in a thrilling four-hour contest. Meanwhile, the women’s squad also punched their ticket to the final, proving China’s depth in the sport.
The opening match saw World No. 7 Liang Jingkun take Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto to five games. After winning the fourth 11-9, Liang forced the decider, but Harimoto edged out 11-9 to give Japan an early lead.
In match two, World No. 1 Wang Chuqin fought back from 8-6 down in the fifth game against Sora Matsushima. Despite grinding points, Wang missed a crucial backhand and lost 11-7, handing Japan a 2-0 advantage.
Facing elimination, 20-year-old Lin Shidong sparked the comeback in the third match. He secured a 3-2 win over Hiroto Shinozuka, landing a decisive backhand winner to trim the deficit to 2-1.
The showdown between Harimoto and Wang in match four featured two match points for Japan. Wang capitalized when Harimoto’s return hit the net, closing out the game 11-8 and leveling the team score at 2-2.
In the decider, Liang raced to a 6-3 lead against Matsushima and then rattled off six straight points to seal an 11-3 win. China celebrated a hard-fought 3-2 victory and a test of endurance lasting four hours.
Next up, China’s men will face the Hong Kong SAR in the final, while the women prepare for their own championship showdown. Both teams are chasing gold and looking to extend China’s reign in Asian table tennis.
Reference(s):
China men, women reach finals at Asian Table Tennis Team Championships
cgtn.com
