China retain men's team crown at table tennis Asian Championships

China defeated the Republic of Korea 3-0 to claim its fourth consecutive men's team title at the 2026 ITTF-ATTU Asian Championships on Thursday. In the women's team final, Japan rallied back to defeat China 3-2.

Having won the men's title three consecutive times between 2023-2025, China extended its dominance despite fielding a youthful squad as part of its preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Several established stars, including Wang Chuqin, Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu, were absent from the tournament as China looked to accelerate its generational transition.

China reached the men's final with a 3-1 semifinal victory over Chinese Taipei earlier on Thursday, while Republic of Korea upset Japan, whose lineup featured world No. 1 Sora Matsushima and third-ranked Tomokazu Harimoto by the same score.

Zhou Qihao gave China the lead in the final with a 3-1 victory over ROK's defensive specialist Kang Dong-soo before Lin Shidong extended the advantage by sweeping Park Gyu-hyeon 3-0.

Xiang Peng then sealed the title with a 3-1 win over Park Gang-hyeon.

In the women's competition final, Japan rallied from 2-1 down to defeat China and claim the title, with Honoka Hashimoto winning the decisive fifth match.

China also enjoyed a successful day in the doubles competitions, with all six of its pairs advancing.

In the mixed doubles, Huang Youzheng and Chen Yi defeated Thailand's Thitaphat Preechayan and Kulapassr Vijitviriyagul 3-1 to reach the quarterfinals.

Yuan Licen and Wang Yidi also advanced to the last eight with a 3-0 victory over Yiu Kwan To and Ng Wing Lam of Hong Kong, China.

In the men's doubles, Lin Shidong and Huang Youzheng, along with Wen Ruibo and Yuan Licen, secured places in the round of 16.

Kuai Man and Wang Yidi as well as the pair of Chen Yi and Jiang Yiyi, also advanced to the women's doubles round of 16.