Fan Zhendong of China competes in the World Team Table Tennis Championships Men's quarterfinals match against Mattias Falck of Sweden in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, October 7, 2022. /CFP
China defeated Sweden 3-0 in the World Team Table Tennis Championships Men's quarterfinals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Friday, to reach the semifinals of the tournament.
Fan Zhendong and Ma Long both swept their opponents in the first two matches. Fan beat Mattias Falck 11-7, 11-9, 11-5. In the closest second game, Falck managed to wipe a three-point deficit (7-4) and maintained the competition at draws from 7-7 to 9-9. However, he suffered two faults in the following plays and lost this game. It didn't take Fan much efforts to win the following game and help China lead 1-0.
Ma Long of China competes in the World Team Table Tennis Championships Men's quarterfinals match against Truls Moregard of Sweden in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, October 7, 2022. /CFP
Ma beat Truls Moregard 13-11, 11-8, 11-6 in the second match. Ma was slow entering his best form and, as a result, was trailing in the first game until tying it 8-8 with a forceful backhand attack. After Ma gained the lead with a serve, Moregard kept his deficit within one point and tied the score 11-11 with a forehand flick. But Ma soon scored two straight points to end this game.
The second game was also close from the beginning and reached an 8-8 draw. After that, Ma dominated Moregard with his strong serves and took the second game. Ma carried his strong momentum to the third game with a 7-4 lead. Though Moregard scored two points after a timeout, he couldn't stop Ma either from scoring or extending China's lead to 2-0.
Wang Chuqin of China competes in the World Team Table Tennis Championships Men's quarterfinals match against Kristian Karlsson of Sweden in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, October 7, 2022. /CFP
Wang Chuqin's match against Kristian Karlsson was the toughest. He took a head-on blow from the opponent with strong forehand attacks and soon lost the first two games 7-11, 10-12. However, the desperate situation seemed to ease the pressure off Wang's shoulders. He got used to Karlsson's plays and began to exploit his advantage in forehand attacks.
Wang first claimed the third game 11-3 and then stopped Karlsson's fierce counterstrike to win the fourth game 11-9. The fifth game, which was the final one of this match, grew much faster and it fit in exactly with Wang's wishes. In the end, Wang beat the opponent in continuous forehand attack exchanges to win this game 11-6. His comeback victory also sealed the deal for China.
China will play against Japan in the semifinals on Saturday.