Nations compete to dethrone reigning champions China at the International Table Tennis Federation (IITF) World Team Table Tennis Championships in Chengdu when competition begins tomorrow.
The ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships hold every two years; nations compete to dethrone reigning champions China.
When the International Table Tennis Federation (IITF) World Team Table Tennis Championships begin tomorrow in Chengdu, nations will attempt to conquer China as champions.
China won men’s and women’s titles four years ago and is the tournament’s top seed in both events.
Olympic champions Ma Long and Fan Zhendong lead the men’s team, competing in Group One against Slovenia, Puerto Rico, the United States, and Thailand.
Dang Qiu of Germany, who recently won the European gold medalist, leads the line for the second-seeded men’s team, which will face France.
Alexis and Felix Lebrun, who did not compete in Halmstad in 2018, are expected to compete for France.
In Group Two, the two countries will join by India, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
Tomokazu Harimoto, who won both the junior singles and team titles at the 2018 World Championships, played a critical role in Japan’s success.
Lined up and ready for action 🏓#GameOn #PhotoOfTheDay #WTT #TableTennis #PingPong #ITTFWorlds2022 #Chengdu2022 pic.twitter.com/IGU7Mjo4OS
— World Table Tennis (@WTTGlobal) September 29, 2022
WELCOME TO #Chengdu2022 🇨🇳🎉
Less than a day for the long-awaited #ITTFWorlds2022 to begin and the athletes are PUMPED 💪
Are you? 😉 pic.twitter.com/d7dQbxd9aO
— World Table Tennis (@WTTGlobal) September 29, 2022
They must first beat Group Three opponents Hong Kong, Romania, Iran, and Hungary.
Egypt and the Czech Republic are the biggest threats to fourth seed South Korea in Group Four, including Canada and Saudi Arabia.
At the same time, Mattias Falck’s Sweden will compete against England, Australia, and Poland in Group Five.
Brazil is in Group Six, alongside Portugal, Denmark, and Slovakia, with Chinese Taipei, Croatia, Belgium, and Singapore rounding out the field.
Olympic champions Chen Meng, Wang Manyu, and Sun Yingsha lead the Chinese charge in the women’s event.
In Group One, they will face the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Malaysia.
Hina Hayata, Miyuu Kihara, and Miyu Nagasaki are all expected to make their World Team Championships debuts for Japan in Group Two against Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Uzbekistan.
Mima Ito is the only member of the Japanese team to have won an Olympic medal, taking silver in Tokyo 2020.
Doo Hoi Kem, Lee Ho Ching, and Minnie Soo Wai Yam, who led Hong Kong to Olympic bronze, all return to represent their homeland.
They are in Group Three with Brazil, France, Italy, and South Africa.
South Korea’s most experienced player is Jeon Jihee, and they will need every bit of it as they look to finish Group Four ahead of Singapore, Thailand, Luxembourg, and Iran.
Group Five consists of Germany, Egypt, India, and the Czech Republic, while Group Six consists of Romania, Chinese Taipei, Sweden, and Portugal.
The ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships will conclude on October 9th.