Monthly Archives: September 2022

A four-year wait over, Ni Xia Lian sets alight the 2022 ITTF World Team Championships Finals Chengdu presented by China Telecom, spearheading a sensational 3-1 victory for Luxembourg against the Republic of Korea, the no.4 seeds, beating both Jeon Jihee and Lee Zion.

Ni Xia Lian commented, “We are very happy, and we are a wonderful team. Today’s victories belong to the team. Our team harmony is our key to winning.”

The one further success for the small European Grand Duchy was recorded by Tessy Gonderinger, in the third match of the fixture, she accounted for Kim Haeyong. Luxembourg was the outfit to upset the order of merit in the women’s event, in the men’s the distinction was gained by Poland; a 3-2 win was recorded against England, the no.8 seeds.

Both upsets came in the second session of play after proceedings had earlier commenced with officials taking center stage.

Petra Sörling (ITTF President), Liu Guoliang (ITTF Executive Vice President and CTTA President), alongside Khalil Al-Mohannadi (ITTF Executive Vice President) in charge of competitions, and Steve Dainton (ITTF Group Chief Executive Officer) demonstrated their table tennis skills. 

Surprise outcomes but for the remaining highly rated teams, required to enter the arena on the opening day of action, all emerged successful.

In the men’s event, of the higher seeded teams in action Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, and Sweden all recorded 3-0 wins.

Dang Qiu, the recently crowned European champion, making his debut in the tournament, showed his class by recording a straight games success when facing Denis Zholudev in a 3-0 win against Kazakhstan.

“It is a big honor for us to play for the national team”, reflected Qiu. “We are all happy that we can represent Germany; we give our best every match, so we can fight and be proud to be Germany.” 

Comfortable victories, for Brazil, the no.6 seeds, life was more testing. Wins for Hugo Calderano against  Martin Andersen and Anders Lind secured a 3-1 win in opposition to Denmark.

“I don’t think it was a perfect performance. There is no such thing, but I think it was a perfect performance from the team”, said Calderano. “I was able to win my two matches. I think the most important thing is that we don’t think so much about the level we play just to get the job done. The first match is very important for the team’s confidence.” 

Success for the Brazilian men was the same for their women; sisters Bruna and Giulia Takahashi alongside Laura Watanabe combined to record a 3-0 against South Africa.

Convincing but for Puerto Rican sisters, Adriana and Melanie Diaz, life was more exacting. Opposing Malaysia, Adriana remained unbeaten, but the heroine was Daniely Rios; matters level, in the vital fifth and deciding match of the engagement, she overcame Ho Ying.

Sisters on duty, in the men’s event, making their first World Championships appearance, Alexis and Felix Lebrun remained unbeaten in a 3-0 success for France against Uzbekistan.

Exciting prospects for day two await. China’s men’s and women’s teams enter the arena, facing Canada and Puerto Rico respectively.

Further teams which will play their first match in the men’s event include Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic, India, and Romania; in the women’s France and India. 

From 30 September to 9 October, the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Chengdu, presented by China Telecom see top players of 60 teams from 36 countries compete to win two of the sport’s most coveted prizes: the Swaythling and Corbillon Cups.

Defending champions China occupy the top seeded positions in both the men’s and women’s team events at the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Presented by China Telecom; the initial stage groups being determined at the draw ceremony on Wednesday 28th September.

Overall, 32 teams compete in the men’s event, and 28 in the women’s competition.

Notably, for both Chinese teams, there is a sense of history, a return to the era of Ping Pong Diplomacy. It is just over 50 years ago since a Chinese team landed in Detroit; in both the men’s and women’s events China is drawn in the same group as the United States.

China with an abundance of riches starts as clear favorites; seasoned players such as Ma Long and Fan Zhendong form the backbone of the men’s team, for the women, Chen Meng, Sun Yingsha, and Wang Manyu are no strangers to the biggest stage of all.

Young Players

The burning question is how young players will respond.

In the men’s team event Germany, the second seeds, are in the same group as France; for Germany Dang Qiu, the recently crowned European champion leads the line. Brothers Alexis and Felix Lebrun appear for France. None were under serious first-team consideration four years ago in Halmstad.

Similarly, at the Liebherr 2018 World Team Championships, Truls Moregard played just one match; he is now a key player for Sweden, the fifth seed. In their group the next rated outfit is England; the team Sweden beat in Halmstad to gain a semi-final place.

Pivotal Players

Undoubtedly, Mattias Falck is pivotal to Swedish success as is Tomokazu Harimoto for Japan. They are in the same group as Hong Kong, China, and Romania.

Promoting youth, Eduard Ionescu, winner of the Under 19 Boys’ Singles title at the European Youth Championships, appears in the Romanian squad.

Crucial players, it is the same for the Republic of Korea, the fourth seed, and Brazil, the sixth seed. Jang Woojin and Hugo Calderano are the respective team leaders.

For the Republic of Korea, Egypt and the Czech Republic comprise the main rivals; for Brazil next in line is Portugal, the team they beat in the group stage in Halmstad, on that occasion against the odds.

Debuts

Meanwhile, in the women’s team event, Japan, the second seed, face European opposition in the guise of Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. The Land of the Rising Sun includes Hina Hayata, Miyuu Kihara, and Miyu Nagasaki, all players born this century, they make their World Team Championships debuts.

Only Mima Ito remains from the silver medal-winning team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games; for Hong Kong, China, the bronze medallists it is very different.

Once again the names of Doo Hoi Kem, Lee Ho Ching, and Minnie Soo Wai Yam appear on the team list. The third seeds, Brazil, with sisters Bruna and Giulia Takahashi on duty are their main rivals.

Much will depend on Bruna Takahashi, as it will for the Republic of Korea, the fourth seed, spearheaded by Jeon Jihee, she is the player with the greatest experience in the selection.

Singapore, led by Zeng Jian, Women’s Singles silver medallist at the recent Commonwealth Games, appear the main opposition for the Koreans.

Experience

Meanwhile, Germany, the fifth seed, with the staunch defensive skills of Han Ying at the head of the order, is drawn in the same group as teams that in recent years have made immense progress. It is a chance for Egypt and India to shine.

Dina Meshref and Hana Goda feature in the Egyptian line-up; the Indian squad is spearheaded by Manika Batra, the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion.

Completing to top six teams, Romania includes Bernadette Szocs and Elizabeta Samara. They appear in the same group as Chinese Taipei, likewise a team with experienced players. Cheng I-Ching and Chen Szu-Yu were both members of Chinese Taipei’s bronze medal-winning outfit at the Perfect 2016 World Team Championships in Kuala Lumpur.

Main Draw

Overall, 16 teams in each of the men’s and women’s events qualify for the knockout stage; play starts on Wednesday 5 October. Teams finishing in the first position in each group will be drawn in the seeded positions; the second placed team will be drawn randomly against a group winner or into unfilled seeded positions; additional places will be filled by the highest-ranked third-place group finishers.

Group Stage
Men’s Team
Group 1: China, Slovenia, United States, Puerto Rico, Thailand
Group 2: Germany, France, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Group 3: Japan; Hong Kong, China; Romania; Iran; Hungary
Group 4: Republic of Korea, Egypt, Czech Republic, Canada, Saudi Arabia
Group 5: Sweden, England, Australia, Poland
Group 6: Brazil, Portugal, Denmark, Slovakia
Group 7: Chinese Taipei, Croatia, Belgium, Singapore

Women’s Team
Group 1: China, United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Malaysia
Group 2: Japan, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Uzbekistan
Group 3: Hong Kong, China; Brazil; France; Italy; South Africa
Group 4: Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Luxembourg, Iran
Group 5: Germany, Egypt, India, Czech Republic
Group 6: Romania, Chinese Taipei, Sweden, Portugal

Procedure

In the men’s event the highest rated teams were allocated the top seeded position in each of the seven groups according to their world ranking; immediately following teams ranked no.8 to no.10 were drawn randomly in groups no.5 to no.7; teams ranked no.11 to no.14 randomly to groups no.1 to no.4.

Teams ranked no.15 to no.28 were drawn using the snake system, and the remaining four teams to groups no.1 to no.4.

In the women’s event, the highest-rated teams were allocated the top-seeded position in each of the six groups according to their world ranking. Teams ranked no.7 to no.9 were drawn to groups no.4 to no.6; teams ranked no.10 to no.12 to groups no.1 to no.3.

Teams ranked no.13 to no.24 were drawn using the snake system, and the remaining four teams to groups no.1 to no.4.

The 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Presented by China Telecom commences on Friday 30 September.

China Telecom was unveiled today as the Presenting Partner of the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Chengdu. The telecommunications giant will provide full technical support to the event via its cloud service provider, China Telecom Cloud. 
 
ITTF President Petra Sörling commented, “I am delighted to welcome China Telecom as a Presenting Partner for the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Chengdu. China Telecom is a leader in the telecommunication industry and cloud technological innovation. With the support of our global and local partners such as China Telecom, we are excited to make this a memorable and successful World Championships.”
 
By leveraging its technology and experience, China Telecom will provide high-quality network support and comprehensive intelligent information services throughout the event, presenting sports enthusiasts worldwide with a spectacular table tennis experience.
 
China Telecom, one of the world’s largest providers of integrated telecommunication services, has unwaveringly strived to enhance its capabilities in maintaining its global footprints while addressing changing demands. Headquartered in Hong Kong, China, China Telecom has established its presence in 41 countries and regions and offers services worldwide to help global customers accelerate their business transformation journeys.
 
The 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Chengdu, presented by China Telecom, will begin on 30 September.