Sweden shock Japan to reach men' team table tennis final at Paris 2024

Sweden beat Japan 3-2 in the men's team table tennis semifinals at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics on Wednesday, and will face the winner of the other semifinal between China and France for gold.

Sweden's stunning victory started with two epic comeback battles. The Scandinavians faced a 2-0 deficit after Anton Kallberg and Kristian Karlsson fell to Hiroto Shinozuka and Shunsuke Togami of Japan 8-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-7 in the first doubles match, and men's singles silver medalist Truls Moregard lost to Tomokazu Harimoto 13-11, 9-11, 11-5, 12-10 in the first singles match.

But Karlsson and Moregard soon punched back in the next two singles matches. First Karlsson beat Togami 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5 to cut the deficit to one. Then Moregard defeated Hiroto 11-5,11-6, 5-11, 12-10 to tie the overall team score at 2-2.

Kallberg and Harimoto faced off in the final match. Harimoto took the first two games, both by scores of 11-5, but then suffered three straight losses 11-7, 11-7, 11-9, costing his team a chance to advance to the final.

Harimoto appeared to be in severe agony as he knelt on the floor, before coach Kunihito Tasei went over to hug and console him.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of," Tasei told Harimoto. "None of this is your fault. I want you to raise your head, walk it off and respond to the spectators. When you are answering questions in an interview, you need to straighten up and do it in the right way."

Earlier on Wednesday, China swept South Korea 3-0 in the men's team quarterfinals. Ma Long and Wang Chuqin beat Cho Dae-seong and Jang Woo-jin 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 in the first doubles match. Fan Zhendong and Wang faced slightly more resistance in the two ensuing singles matches, but eventually secured the wins to send China into the semifinals against France.

Fan defeated Lim Jong-hoon 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6 and Wang outlasted Jang 11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9.