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  • Dimitrij Ovtcharov & Neu-Ulm vs. TTBL. Who Is Right In This Conflict?

    Dimitrij Ovtcharov & Neu-Ulm vs. TTBL. Who Is Right In This Conflict?

    Recently, after the semi-final of the Champions League, one of TTC Neu-Ulm’s leading players, Dimitrij Ovtcharov came up with criticism toward the German Bundesliga and the fact that Borussia Düsseldorf’s manager is a part of the supervisory board of the German Bundesliga. After a while, Ovtcharov edited his post and expressed doubts about the continuation of his career in the Bundesliga due to the suspensions and fines against his teammates – Lin Yun-Ju and Truls Moregardh. The situation evolved quickly, and soon Neu-Ulm club announced its withdrawal from Bundesliga and plans to continue playing only in the Champions League. Who is right in this situation? Actually, this is not one of those complex conflicts.

    First of all, it’s obvious that Dimitrij Ovtcharov made a terrible decision to make these comments. Neu-Ulm has shown plenty of childish behavior and disrespect toward the fans and the Bundesliga. While other clubs have to write their history step by step and advance to the elite of German table tennis, TTC Neu-Ulm appeared out of nowhere in 2019 and got their place in Bundesliga only because of a wealthy owner. As you might guess, such a club does not get much love from German table tennis fans, and deservedly so.

    The current situation just shows what comes with having these wealthy individuals in the league. They know what the rules are, players know what the rules are, and there is nothing wrong with Bundesliga fining anyone, who breaks those rules. If there is a rule that a Bundesliga player cannot play in any other country as long as he’s under a contract with a German club, it must be respected. Ovtcharov’s and Neu-Ulm’s criticism is unfair and has no context. Let’s take a simple analogy from football. Imagine, if Lionel Messi would ask PSG to occasionally allow him to play for Barcelona again. Do you think anyone would allow such nonsense? That’s pretty much what Ovtcharov and Neu-Ulm were unhappy about.

    So clearly, Bundesliga has the right in this situation and Neu-Ulm’s withdrawal is not a big deal, in general. They anyway barely played their star players in Bundesliga games, mostly deploying their B squad. From the league’s standpoint, there is no reason to somehow allow a breach of rules for a team that openly downplays Bundesliga importance. Ovtcharov criticized Borussia Düsseldorf’s manager, but if you look at their approach, there is no B-squad. Fans can be sure that in most of the games, they will see Timo Boll, Anton Källberg, and Dang Qiu in action. No matter, whether it’s the German Bundesliga or Champions League. If Ovtcharov and his teammates wanted to play for different teams during this season, they could’ve signed contracts in Sweden or other countries that allow such an approach.

    Such conflicts do not benefit table tennis as a sport, and it once again proves that such artificial projects as Neu-Ulm bring more bad than good. Table tennis is a poorly financed sport, compared to other sports, but German Bundesliga is by far the best and most competitive table tennis league in Europe. If players, like Ovtcharov, do not appreciate the opportunity to play there, it’s perfectly fine. At the same time, are there any better options? Chinese Super League rarely invites European players, and the Japanese T-League remains the only lucrative option outside of it.

    Some might argue that it’s unfair to criticize Ovtcharov for his loyalty to Neu-Ulm’s policies. But there are two moments. First, nobody forced Ovtcharov to make any comments and then edit them. Second of all, he’s a seasoned veteran who knows the German system and rules perfectly. If he would be one of his younger and foreign teammates, there could be given some benefit of the doubt, since they are less familiar with Bundesliga. Honestly, in this situation, Ovtcharov simply seems to be bitter about his failure to get those crucial wins in the Champions League semi-finals, and his emotions went in the wrong direction. Still, it can’t be an excuse.

    In conclusion, we might not see the TTC Neu-Ulm in the next Bundesliga season, and it’s not a loss at all. We never really saw its full power in the Bundesliga anyway. Judging by the table tennis fan reactions on social media, this club won’t be missed. The majority of the fans prefer to see the clubs that evolve and write their history naturally, by winning their way into the Bundesliga, not by simply purchasing it. Hopefully, Bundesliga management will also take a lesson, and won’t approve such clubs in the league again.

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  • A closer look at the 2023 Chinese World Championships Trials

    A closer look at the 2023 Chinese World Championships Trials

    Sixteen of the best Chinese players meet to battle for the opportunity to play in the 2023 World Championships in Durban.

    Outside of Lin Shidong (he was replaced by Xu Haidong), who was diagnosed with COVID-19 after return from Amman, all the current leading Chinese players were ready to earn their ticket to Durban. However, as the event progressed, three more players withdrew due to fever – Xiang Peng, Chen Yuanyu and Zhou Kai.

    One of the surprises of the group stage was the unsuccessful run of Lin Gaoyuan, who placed only third in his group after losing to Xue Fei and Liang Jingkun.

    The main favorites proved their quality and won their respective groups. The winners of each group advanced to the semi-finals stage. Draw brought together Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin, as well as Ma Long and Liang Jingkun. Unfortunately, Wang Chuqin had to withdraw and join the list of players who were affected by the virus. It allowed Fan Zhendong to qualify for the final effortlessly and join Ma Long, who got a confident 3-1 win against Liang Jingkun.

    In the final, Ma Long got a surprisingly confident 3-0 win against Fan Zhendong. It looks like the 34-year-old veteran remains the main favorite to win the singles title in Durban. This could be his fourth singles title – a unique feat in modern table tennis.

    In mixed doubles event, Lin Gaoyuan and Chen Xingtong were the strongest pairing, overcoming Yu Ziyang and Sun Mingyang in the final.

    FINAL

    Ma Long
    3-0 vs. Fan Zhendong (11-8, 11-5, 11-7)

    SEMI-FINALS
    Fan Zhendong
    W-0 vs. Wang Chuqin

    Ma Long
    3-1 vs. Liang Jingkun (11-7, 11-5, 3-11, 13-11)

    GROUP STAGE

    GROUP A

    Player1234PointsPlace
    Fan Zhendong3-13-13-061
    Zhou Qihao1-3W:03-152
    Zhou Kai1-30:W0:W14
    Liang Yanning1-30-3W:043

    GROUP B

    Player1234PointsPlace
    Ma Long3-03-13-261
    Xu Yingbin0-33-13-052
    Xu Haidong1-31-33-043
    Yuan Licen2-30-30-334

    GROUP C

    Player1234PointsPlace
    Wang Chuqin3-0W:0W:061
    Liu Dingshuo0-33-0W:052
    Xiang Peng0:W0-30:W13
    Chen Yuanyu0:W0:W0:W04

    GROUP D

    Player1234PointsPlace
    Liang Jingkun3-13-23-261
    Lin Gaoyuan1-30-33-043
    Xue Fei2-33-02-342
    Zhao Zihao2-30-33-244

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  • Shunsuke Togami does it again! 21-year-old Japanese wins his second All Japan Table Tennis Championships title in a row

    Shunsuke Togami does it again! 21-year-old Japanese wins his second All Japan Table Tennis Championships title in a row

    The 2023 edition of the All Japan Table Tennis Championships brought another surprise in the singles event.

    While in the international arena, the main Japanese hope is Tomokazu Harimoto, the internal competition has once again proved that Shunsuke Togami is ready to write his name among the greats of Japanese table tennis. Same as the year earlier, Togami managed to win the singles event. Last year, he overcame Kenta Matsuidara in the final 4-2. This year, the final’s result against Harimoto was the same.

    Togami’s success will only strengthen his position in the Japanese national team before the upcoming World Championships in Durban. He has previously expressed a high motivation to earn his spot for the 2024 Olympic Games, and all the recent success only increases Togami’s chances to play in Paris alongside Harimoto.

    As long as Harimoto continues to be among the leading players in the world, he remains pretty much untouchable in the Japanese team. A tougher internal competition can be seen as a positive thing. The recent Team World Championships showed that Harimoto is capable of winning against any opponent, but to win the gold medals, he needs help. Despite losing the singles final, Harimoto managed to earn two gold medals in this tournament, winning doubles and mixed doubles events.

    This tournament proved to be a successful run for the 15-year-old talent Sora Matsushima, who reached the doubles final together with Mizuki Oikawa. Also worth mentioning is the bronze medal for Hiroto Shinozuka, who has been successful in the WTT tournaments during 2022 and is also slowly climbing up in the ranks of the Japanese team.

    2023 ALL JAPAN CHAMPIONSHIPS MEDALISTS

    SINGLES
    Shunsuke Togami
    Tomokazu Harimoto
    Hiroto Shinozuka
    Kakeru Sone

    DOUBLES
    Tomokazu Harimoto/Masataka Morizono
    Mizuki Oikawa/Sora Matsushima
    Kohei Sambe/Ryuzaki Tonin
    Tazoe Kenta/Yuya Oshima

    MIXED DOUBLES
    Tomokazu Harimoto/Nina Hayata
    Yuta Tanaka/Chiaki Tanaka
    Shodai Sakane/Maki Shiomi
    Norihiro Ito/Natsuko Hagii

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  • Zhuang Zedong – three consecutive World Championships singles titles & a key role in Ping-pong diplomacy

    Zhuang Zedong – three consecutive World Championships singles titles & a key role in Ping-pong diplomacy

    Before the successful run of Ma Long, there was a Chinese international who dominated the World Table Tennis Championships in the 1960s.

    Zhuang Zedong was a member of the talented Chinese generation that managed to break the dominance of Japanese, Hungarian and Czechoslovak table tennis legends. Until the 1960s, the players from these countries were winning gold medals in singles and team events. In 1959, Rong Guotuan managed to win the first singles title for China, beating Hungarian veteran Ferenc Sido in the final. It marked the shift in the course of table tennis history.

    For the next three World Championships, the Chinese team dominated most of the events, and Zhuang Zedong was unbeatable in the singles event. In 1965, he won three gold medals out of four possible, only coming short in the semi-finals of the mixed doubles event.

    Zedong had a very modern technique for the time, being able to attack from both sides and generate great spin with shorter strokes than most of his opponents. However, the Cultural Revolution that began in China in 1966 set his career on pause. Ongoing internal clashes left Chinese table tennis players isolated, and they could not take part in the 1967 and 1969 World Championships.

    Even after a six-year absence from major international tournaments, Zedong proved his quality again in the 1971 World Championships in Nagoya, helping the Chinese team to win the gold medals in the team event and overcoming the biggest rivals – the Japanese team. However, this was the last major tournament for the 31-year-old World champion.

    Unfortunately, Zhuang Zedong did not have a chance to win more titles during his athletic prime, but he was still able to become only the second player in history to win three consecutive singles titles in a row (first was Viktor Barna with four consecutive titles from 1932 to 1935). 54 years later, Ma Long repeated the achievement of his renowned compatriot.

    The impact on table tennis history by Zedong went beyond his achievements. In 1971, the accidental meeting with the American player Glenn Cowan at the 1971 World Championships laid the foundation for the future meetings of Chinese and American politicians. Now, these events are known as Ping-pong diplomacy. Ironically, Zedong was in favor as long as Mao Zedong was in power. After the leader of the Chinese Communist Party died in 1976, Zedong fell out of favor and was imprisoned for four years.

    Like most of the Chinese table tennis legends, Zhuang Zedong’s career largely depended on the political landscape in China. While modern-day stars enjoy more freedoms and opportunities to earn a comfortable life, Zedong’s gold medals did not bring him much comfort. Some of his teammates, like Rong Guotuan, faced an even more tragic fate.

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  • 11-year-old Lee Seungsoo is the new hope of Korean table tennis

    11-year-old Lee Seungsoo is the new hope of Korean table tennis

    The new talent from Korea emerged in the international arena in 2022, and he might be the next big thing.

    Korean table tennis has produced many well-known and accomplished names, such as the Olympic champions Ryu Seung-min and Yoo Nam-kyu, and World Championships medalists Kim Taek-soo and Oh Sang-eun. Koreans have strong traditions in table tennis, and occasionally, we see a rise in very talented young players. The 11-year-old Lee Seungsoo is one of them.

    While he is already a well-known name in Korea and has appeared on TV many times, including playing a one-set showdown against Olympic champion Ryu Seung-min, in Europe, Lee Seungsoo’s name was unknown until May of 2022.

    In Berlin, the Korean prodigy made his debut in the WTT Youth Contender, and it was an instant success. He competed against older opponents and became the champion in the U13 event. Lee Seungsoo repeated this success in the WTT Youth Contender Wladyslawowo in Poland, winning the U13 event and reaching the semi-finals in the U15 age group.

    As the young Korean continued his journey in the WTT-organized tournaments in the second part of 2022, he competed in U15 and U17 age groups, twice reaching the semi-finals stage, and twice playing in the final of the U15 group. Overall, his results in WTT Youth Contenders have been very consistent in 2022, and it is no surprise that Lee Seungsoo is the World Ranking leader in the U13 group.

    Looking at how the 11-year-old Korean has competed against older opponents so far, it is fair to assume that within the next few years, we might see his debut on the senior level. While Chinese table tennis coaches prefer to develop their talents in the local arena until the age of 16-17 without sending them to tournaments on the professional circuit, Japanese and Koreans are less strict in this regard.

    There has been a successful example of Tomokazu Harimoto, who made his debut very early and soon cemented his place among the leaders of international table tennis. Of course, each career develops differently, and Lee Seungsoo might not take the same path as Harimoto, but it is clear that the talent is there. Hopefully, the progress will continue, and we will see another exciting player competing against the current table tennis stars.

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  • Fifth title for Shandong Luneng, sixth for Ma Long. The 2022 Chinese Table Tennis overview

    Fifth title for Shandong Luneng, sixth for Ma Long. The 2022 Chinese Table Tennis overview

    The 2022 CTTSL season turned out to be an exciting one, shining a light on some new heroes.

    Same as the season before, this edition of the Chinese Super League featured 9 clubs. The system was simple. All clubs faced each other in the round robin and the four best, advanced to the semi-finals stage.

    All the clubs brought the best selection of players possible, and there were just a few internationals, who did not take part in this year’s league edition. One was Liang Jingkun, and the other was Lin Shidong, who currently participates in the Youth World Championships. Aside from these two, the quality of the rosters was top-class. It was also great that rosters were well-balanced and the top players were representing different clubs.

    Since all clubs had only eight games available during the round-robin – every game mattered a lot. No club managed to come out unbeaten, and even the eventual champions – Shandong Luneng TTC lost one game against Lexuan Sports Group TTC. The most successful player during the round-robin was the 19-year-old Chinese talent, Xiang Peng. He won 12 out of 14 games. Fan Zhendong finished the round-robin with 8-0 balance and Ma Long went unbeaten for 7 games.

    After barely missing the playoffs in the 2021 season, Huangshi TTC led by Xiang Peng made it to the semi-finals, where they faced Shanghai Zhongxing club, led by Fan ZhendongHuangshi players managed to win the doubles match-up, but the club from Shanghai took all the individual games, and the final score was 3-1. In the second semi-final, Shandong Luneng confidently won over Shandong Weiqiao TTC 3-1. It’s worth mentioning the performance of Xu Yingbin, who did not disappoint his teammates, winning both games, including one against Wang Chuqin. Overall, the 21-year-old played well throughout the tournament and was a good help to Ma Long.

    The final presented everything the Chinese table tennis fans would ask for. After winning doubles, and Xu Yingbin getting a hard-earned win against Zhou KaiShandong Luneng had a 2-0 lead. The game between Ma Long and Fan Zhendong could have ended the final with a strong 3-0 victory. However, the World Ranking leader did his best to overcome Ma Long 3-1. Then, Xu Yingbin had a chance to become a hero in the final, winning both of his games. His opponent was experienced, but fading veteran Xu Xin. This time, the experience took over the youth, and Xu Xin‘s win made the overall result 2-2. The final game for the title was played between Yuan Licen and Zhou Kai. Both players had great pressure on their shoulders, but Yuan Licen coped with it better and won the decisive game 3-1, bringing the fifth title to Shandong Luneng.

    2022 CHINESE SUPER LEAGUE RESULTS

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  • Fourth Singles Title For Fan Zhendong At The 2022 Chinese National Championships

    Fourth Singles Title For Fan Zhendong At The 2022 Chinese National Championships

    The biggest local tournament in China this year did not bring many surprises. The current World Ranking leader Fan Zhendong proved his quality, adding another singles title to his resume.

    The Chinese National Championships in Huangshi brought the majority of the leading Chinese players. However, Ma Long, Wang Chuqin, and Liang Jingkun did not take part in this tournament. Still, it featured the Chinese internationals – Fan Zhendong and Lin Gaoyuan, who both made it to the final.

    On the way to the final, Fan Zhendong got past Yu Ziyang (3-1) and Niu Guankai (4-1). Lin Gaoyuan won Xu Chenhao (3-1) and Lin Dingshuo (4-1).

    The final matchup was a chance for Fan Zhendong to take revenge for his loss in the team event. Before the singles event, Lin Gaoyuan won against Fan Zhendong 3-2. However, the final slowly, but surely turned in favor of the eventual champion. Fan Zhendong won the first two sets, and the second one was a long fight. The final score of this set was 20-18. Lin Gaoyuan deserves credit for not giving up after such a tough start. He won the next set, then again lost one, and managed to come out as a winner of the fifth set. 3-2, and Fan Zhendong made the final push to make it 4-2 and win the title.

    Despite losing the final, Lin Gaoyuan still enjoyed a successful tournament, winning gold medals in doubles and mixed doubles events. Together with Zhou Qihao, he won the doubles final against the talented Chinese youngsters Xiang Peng and Yuan Licen, who played together for the first time in major tournaments.

    The audience at Huangshi also had a chance to see the favorite of many table tennis fans – Xu Xin back in action. The experienced Chinese star helped his Shanghai team to win the gold medals in the team event after winning the final 3-2 against Guangdong team.

    SINGLES RESULTS

    FINAL
    Fan Zhendong
    4-2 vs. Lin Gaoyuan
    1/2 FINALS
    Fan Zhendong
    4-0 vs. Niu Guankai
    Lin Gaoyuan
    4-1 vs. Lin Dingshuo

    DOUBLES RESULTS

    FINAL
    Lin Gaoyuan/Zhou Qihao
    4-2 vs. Xiang Peng/Yuan Licen
    1/2 FINALS
    Lin Gaoyuan/Zhou Qihao
    4-0 vs. Xi Sheng/Xu Hao
    Xiang Peng/Yuan Licen
    4-2 vs. Xue Fei/Liang Yanning

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  • Disappointing feelings after WTT Champions Macao. Does WTT really want a global game?

    Disappointing feelings after WTT Champions Macao. Does WTT really want a global game?

    Wang Chuqin had a great run, beating his renowned teammates from the China team, but WTT once again disappoints with its attitude toward the audience.

    The major table tennis tournaments rarely disappoint the fans due to the high level of the players and their ability to bring us a variety of exciting rallies. When you have names, such as Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, Truls Möregårdh, and others in the bracket, the display of creativity is guaranteed. But that’s not the point of this article.

    World Table Tennis seems to have zero concerns about the increase in popularity of table tennis. It’s enough to have a little rebranding, changing the courts and colors of tables to clap themselves on the shoulder and say: “Well done!” Because surely, if you will ask 100 random people on the street, they all will name Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, or any other table tennis player as their favorite sports celebrity, right? Outside of China, how much you would bet on this to be true? Without turning too sarcastic, it looks like WTT lives in an isolated bubble where table tennis is the sport everyone loves by default.

    WTT Champions Macao once again proved that table tennis as a sport is going nowhere with WTT unless the major tournaments become more accessible. Where was the live-action on YouTube or for the least, on the WTT website? Highlights or full-match uploads are a nice thing to see, but having a chance to watch all the decisive games live is a completely different vibe. And even when there were those live streams available during other tournaments, those were often unwatchable due to the slow and laggy website the WTT has (which is also a disgrace, we’re living in 2022, come on).

    WTT is trying to give the impression that just because there was a rebranding, now table tennis suddenly should be interesting for the masses. But where are the actual effort and results? We live in an internet era, young people consume it 24/7, and the best way to promote the sport is to share all the exciting action with the masses. Having a few extra TV deals can give a short-term impact, but the popularity of table tennis will remain at the same level. It will retain a local phenom status in countries like China, no doubt. But WTT translates as World Table Tennis, not China Table Tennis. Their market can live on its own terms without the leadership of any outside organizations.

    There has been plenty of criticism from internet users during the live streams on YouTube and the WTT website about the quality, mistakes in scoreboards, and bad camera angles. Players, like Ibrahima Diaw, have also publicly shared some criticism about the conditions WTT provides to its players. There is more to tell about this topic, but that is worthy of another article or research video.

    If you think that criticism toward WTT is unfair or exaggerated, here’s a quick and telling (in a bad way) fact. If the WTT website gets less than 1 million visits a month, and a local, German website mytischtennis.de can get up to 2-5 times more traffic monthly, there is something completely wrong with the way WTT and its team do their work. The global website should be getting millions of views every month with ease.

    Unfortunately, it is unlikely to see any changes in the WTT approach. Unless the star players are going to have their discontent and criticism toward this organization. Theoretically, European players might voice their opinions at some point, but the Chinese players will definitely have no say. It’s no secret that China has a strict hierarchy, and politics have a lot to do with the sports there. Unless WTT goes against Chinese interests and makes them angry, the buzz and criticism will only appear in social media posts, comments, and occasional posts, like this one.

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  • How good are the Lebrun brothers? A historical perspective

    How good are the Lebrun brothers? A historical perspective

    Table Tennis Media looks at the historical perspective of Europe’s most talented players throughout the years.

    The talented French brothers – Alexis and Felix Lebrun have regularly made headlines in the table tennis news during the past few years. They have been successful not only on the national level, winning medals at the French Championships but also earning recognition and accolades in the international arena.

    In our infographic, you will see the number of medals won by the Lebrun brothers compared to other European all-time great players, such as Timo Boll, Jan-Ove Waldner, and others, who also were successful since the early stage of their careers.

    WC – World Championships, EC – European Championships, PRO – Professional Tour, NAT – National Championships.

    As you can see, some of the all-time greats, such as Jan-Ove Waldner, Tibor Klampar, and Stellan Bengtsson had more success at the age of 19 than Alexis Lebrun, while none of the players had as much success as the youngest of brothers – Felix. He has been a very early bloomer, and it will be exciting to see whether his career will develop as rapidly as in recent years.

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  • No surprises in Chengdu. Team China wins the title at the 2022 World Team Table Tennis Championships

    No surprises in Chengdu. Team China wins the title at the 2022 World Team Table Tennis Championships

    32 countries took part in this tournament in Chengdu with China being the host and the reigning champion. While some of the teams did not bring all their best players to this tournament, China was at full strength and unwilling to give even the slightest chance for the opponents to dream about the gold medals. Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, and Wang Chuqin became the core of the Chinese team at this tournament.

    The hosts comfortably cruised past all the opponents up until the semi-finals stage, where they faced the Japanese team, led by Tomokazu Harimoto. It is fair to say that the semi-final was actually the final since Japan was the only team that could be a real threat to the Chinese squad. Harimoto did maximum to give his team a chance to dream about reaching the final, winning his both games – 3-1 against Wang Chuqin and 3-2 against the reigning world champion Fan Zhendong. However, Shunsuke Togami could not step up in the decisive game and Wang Chuqin made it 3-2, giving his team a ticket to the finals.

    It was pleasant to see the German team reaching the finals, even without Dimitrij Ovtcharov, Patrick Franziska, or Timo Boll on their roster. The reigning European champion Dang Qiu and Benedikt Duda did their best to get past France and South Korea on their way to the final. South Koreans had all the cards to beat the Germans, but a disappointing performance by their leader Jang Woo-jin in the decisive games left them out of the chance to compete against China.

    For the Swedish team, this tournament could have been a more positive experience, but they simply were unlucky to find themselves on the same side of the bracket as the Chinese team. Of course, they still would be no match for the hosts in case they would have reached the final, but the Swedes would likely have enough quality to get a place on the podium.

    This tournament brought many exciting games and rallies, also highlighting some of the young teams with solid potential for future tournaments. Alexis Lebrun and Felix Lebrun had a solid run and were just a step away from winning the medals. If the talented brothers can continue to progress, they will be a force to be aware of in the near future. Poland also had a very young team – a trio of solid talents who could grow into medal contenders, if not at the world stage, then for the European stage – most definitely.

    The favorite status, however, remains on the Chinese side. Unless Japan can provide someone who is able to help Tomokazu Harimoto in crucial moments, there are no other teams who could be a threat to Fan Zhendong and the company. Ma Long is likely to retire in the foreseeable future, but there are young Chinese talents on the way who will keep the internal competition high.

    All the results from 2022 World Team Table Tennis Championships.

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