{"id":6662,"date":"2025-12-01T09:59:36","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T02:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=6662"},"modified":"2025-12-01T09:59:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T02:59:38","slug":"china-spins-to-8-1-demolition-of-hong-kong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/china-spins-to-8-1-demolition-of-hong-kong\/","title":{"rendered":"China spins to 8-1 demolition of Hong Kong"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Hosts China opened their ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2025 campaign with a commanding 8 \u2013 1 victory over Hong Kong, China. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Third seeded duo Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha delivered the first three points, sweeping away the experienced pair of Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem. After a shaky start in the opening game, the Chinese pair quickly found rhythm, racing to a 2 \u2013 0 lead and holding a 9 \u2013 5 advantage in the third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The fixture seemed all but sealed until a lapse of focus from Wang, on account of experimenting with his backhand, allowed Hong Kong to claw back five straight points, drawing sharp glares from coach Ma Lin, the former Olympic champion. At 9 to 10 down, a fortunate edge ball spared them, and Wang and Sun closed out the fixture to secure China\u2019s dominance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kuai Man continued the winning momentum for China, as she stormed through Zhu Chengzhu with blistering pace, clinching two quick game wins. Zhu, despite flashes of exquisite forehand touch and spirited rallies, was outpaced by Kuai\u2019s relentless attack. However, she did well to win a tense third game, salvaging pride and delivering Hong Kong\u2019s solitary point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A marauding Lin Shidong closed out the tie for China, dismantling Lam Siu Hang in straight games. A relaxed and confident Lin looked to be in ominous form, as he fused brute force and catlike reflexes into a destructive mix that proved overwhelming for Lam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"LIVE! | T1 | Day 1 | ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2025 (Stage 1) | Session 1\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UIysxeekiQo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Germany prevailed 8-5 over Romania in the battle of European heavyweights.\u00a0Romania surprised all with a bold tactical gamble. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making full use of the mixed team format, they fielded Women\u2019s No.\u202f1 Bernadette Szocs in both the Mixed Doubles and Women\u2019s Doubles, while entrusting the Women\u2019s Singles to the experienced Elizabeta Samara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The move paid early dividends, as Szocs and her partner Ovidiu Ionescu combined to edge Patrick Franziska and Annett Kaufmann 2\u20131 in the opening Mixed Doubles fixture, giving Romania the perfect start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Germany steadied the contest with consecutive 2\u20131 singles victories. Sabine Winter defeated Elizabeta Samara, and Benedikt Duda fended off Eduard Ionescu, restoring momentum to the German side. Trailing 4\u20135, Romania looked to the Women\u2019s Doubles to level the tie and justify their gamble of fielding Bernadette Szocs in both the doubles fixtures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Szocs and Elizabeta Samara began brightly, edging Sabine Winter and Nina Mittelham 14\u201312 in a tense opener. Germany struck back to take the second, leaving the team score delicately poised at 5\u20136 with everything riding on the decider. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Romania surged ahead 6\u20133 in the decider, seemingly on course to equalize, but an inexplicable implosion from Samara\u2014by far the most experienced player on either side\u2014shifted momentum. Germany seized control and closed out a 2\u20131 win, tightening their grip on the match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Germany, holding a 7\u20135 advantage, turned to Benedikt Duda and Qiu Dang in the Men\u2019s Doubles. The pair rose to the occasion, overcoming Ovidiu Ionescu and Eduard Ionescu 11\u20137 in the first game, securing the decisive point and completing an 8\u20135 victory for Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>France delivered the tournament\u2019s first whitewash, crushing Brazil 8\u20130 in less than an hour. Alexis Lebrun and Jia Nan Yuan powered past Lucas Romanski and Victoria Strassburger in the Mixed Doubles, Prithika Pavade followed with a confident win over Laura Watanabe, and Felix Lebrun sealed the rout by overpowering Felipe Arado. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The clash highlighted the stark gap between the two teams, though Brazil will look to bounce back and give a better account of themselves when they face Romania next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"LIVE! | T1 | Day 1 | ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2025 (Stage 1) | Session 2\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xCTJma9vSvU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Sixteenth seeded Croatia pulled off the tournament\u2019s opening upset by defeating 8th-seeded India. The clash had everything \u2013 drama, momentum swings, and world-class table tennis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Mixed Doubles, Diya Chitale, in the absence of the other half of her World No.8 Mixed double pairing with Manush Shah, teamed up with veteran Sathiyan Gnanasekaran against Ivor Ban and Hana Arapovic. What followed was a masterclass from Ban, who went on a backhand flick rampage, dismantling the Indian serves with ruthless accuracy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chitale\/Gnanasekaran and the Indian team could only smile wryly at each other as they tried to wait Ban\u2019s rampage. Such was the Croatian\u2019s rhythm that in a moment of pure audacity, she struck a \u2018behind-the-back winner\u2019 that left the Indians stunned and the crowd gasping. Ban and Arapovic raced through the opening two games 11\u20132, and although the Indians managed to take one back, Ban\u2019s brilliance had already decided the contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Women\u2019s Singles, Lea Rakovac delivered a stirring comeback win over Manika Batra. Having lost the first game, and trailing 4\u20138 in the second, Rakovac refused to fold, battling back to take it 15\u201313. The deciding game brought more drama, as she trailed 4\u20136 before igniting a blistering streak of seven straight points to triumph 11\u20136. With that, Croatia surged ahead 4\u20132, the upset gathering momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tomislav Pucar approached his Men\u2019s singles match with a clear plan, executing a well-structured display of attacking table tennis to defeat India\u2019s Manav Thakkar in straight games. Pucar used his height and reach to telling effect, exploiting Manav Thakkar\u2019s passive play throughout the match. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His inside-out backhands, struck from both the middle and forehand side, repeatedly unsettled Thakkar, leaving him uncertain of which angle to anticipate and unable to find rhythm. Croatia\u2019s lead grew to 7\u20132, and for Tomislav Pucar the triumph was doubly sweet, serving as revenge for his loss to Manav Thakkar at the WTT Champions Frankfurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The drama continued though, with India mounting a comeback. Despite staring at a 2\u20137 deficit, India\u2019s Women\u2019s Doubles pairing of Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade rose to the occasion, storming back with three straight games against Lea Rakovac and Mateja Jeger to close the gap to 5\u20137. Chitale was at her attacking best, capitalizing on the rhythm disruptions created by Ghorpade\u2019s long pimple backhand rubber, and finishing rallies with her powerful forehand whenever loose balls appeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With hope alive for India and pressure mounting, the Men\u2019s Doubles became a pivotal contest. India struck first, as veteran Sathiyan Gnanasekaran combined seamlessly with debutant Akash Pal, who impressed in his maiden appearance by helping secure the opening game. Yet Ivor Ban and Frane Kojic held firm, edging the second 11\u20138 and sparking jubilant celebrations as Croatia marked their successful debut at the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Japan wasted no time asserting authority crushing Australia 8\u20131.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Mixed doubles clash saw Japanese stars Hina Hayata and Shunsuke Togami win 3-0 against Jiamuwa Lu and Finn Luu. Though the Australian pair lost in straight games, they did manage to give the Japanese pairing a good match, and came close to winning the third game as well, narrowly losing it 10-12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Miwa Harimoto carried Japan\u2019s momentum into the Women\u2019s Singles, winning 3-0 against Australia\u2019s Yangzi Liu. At first, Harimoto appeared unsettled by Liu\u2019s tricky \u2018short pimple\u2019 backhand rubber, which generated heavy backspin and disrupted her rhythm. Yet Harimoto held firm, edging the opening game 12\u201310. From thereon, she found her stride and unleashed her full command, conceding only three points across the next two games. With that ruthless finish, Japan surged to a commanding 6\u20130 lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Japanese World No. 5 Tomokazu Harimoto had to withstand a spirited challenge from Nicholas Lum, whose doggedness lit up the arena. Lum, the southpaw, played with fearless intent, swinging freely and hammering step-around forehand topspin shots that repeatedly unsettled Harimoto. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He never wavered, attacking without regard for the score, and his persistence paid off as he won over a capacity crowd through the sheer refusal to give up. Riding that wave of support, Lum stunned Harimoto by taking the second game, despite trailing by a few points, leading to wild cheering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Harimoto regrouped quickly, shaking off the shock loss to take the fourth game 11-4 and win the tie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"LIVE! | T2 | Day 1 | ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2025 (Stage 1) | Session 2\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3ZjLVXcbS-o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The last match of the morning session saw a young USA beaten by a formidable Chinese Taipei, who won by a margin of 8-3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chinese Taipei opened with authority as world No. 8 duo Lin Yun Ju and Cheng I Ching swept aside Ved Sheth and Mandy Yu to race into a 3\u20130 lead. Tsai Yun En added to the tally with a 2\u20131 win over Jessica Lai Reyes in the Women\u2019s singles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chinese Taipei\u2019s surprise selection of Lin Yen Chun over Kao Cheng-Jui in the Men\u2019s singles backfired, as USA\u2019s Sid Naresh punished them for the gamble and lit up the arena. From 0\u20131 down, the American unleashed fearless stroke play, highlighted by some outrageous backhand winners away from the table, to snatch a 2\u20131 win and keep USA\u2019 s hopes alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet the revival was short lived, as Tsai Yun En and Huang Yu Chiao crushed teenager Tashiya Piyadasa and Mandy Yu in the Women\u2019s doubles, winning 2 consecutive games and sealing victory for Chinese Taipei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Korea Republic launched their campaign in style, overpowering Sweden 8\u20133 in the second fixture on Table 1. Park Ganghyeon and Kim Nayeong set the tone with a gutsy 2\u20131 mixed doubles win against Kristian Karlsson and Christina Kallberg. They rallied from 3\u20136 down in the decider to snatch it 11\u20139.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shin Yubin then held off a spirited performance from Swedish chopper Linda Bergstrom, whose defensive artistry thrilled the crowd, to edge a 2\u20131 victory and push Korea ahead 4\u20132. Jang Woojin showcased tactical adaptability in the men\u2019s singles, recovering from a first game loss to beat Anton Kallberg 2\u20131 and extend Korea Republic\u2019s lead to 6\u20133.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And as the final nail in the coffin, Park Ganghyeon returned for the Men\u2019s doubles, partnering Oh Junsung and sealed triumph. They demolished former world championship medallists Mattias Falck and Kristian Karlsson with relentless attacks, exploiting Falck\u2019s short pimple forehand to devastating effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Egypt scraped past debutants Chile 8\u20137. Without Hana Goda, the 7th seeds showed cracks, yet clung on as every fixture went down to the wire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Egyptian Mixed doubles duo Youssef Abdelaziz and Mariam Alhodaby, partners on and off the court, battled to a 15\u201313 victory in the third game for a 2\u20131 win, securing Egypt\u2019s first two points. Farida Badawy impressed by taking a game off Chile\u2019s stalwart Paulina Vega in a 1\u20132 defeat, before Omar Assar displayed his class to overcome an inspired Chilean No. 1 Nicolas Burgos with a 2-1 scoreline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trailing 4\u20135, Chile\u2019s Paulina Vega and Daniela Ortega knew the women\u2019s doubles was do-or-die. A blistering start had them 2\u20130, 5\u20131 up against Egypt\u2019s Mariam and Marwa Alhodaby, momentum firmly in their grasp. However, an inexplicable loss of momentum from the Chileans set the stage for and a valiant fightback by the Egyptian siblings. They clawed back from there to take the third game, and even the encounter at 6-6, leaving everything to play for in the Men\u2019s doubles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mohamed Elbeiali rose to the occasion for Egypt in a nerve shredding men\u2019s doubles against Nicolas Burgos and Gustavo Gomez. In a match that again went to the third game, he absorbed the pressure, steadied partner Youssef Abdelaziz, and delivered an extraordinary rally to close the match,already a contender for point of the tournament. An ecstatic Egyptian team watched Elbeiali sprawl on the floor in celebration, sealing a historic triumph for Egypt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hosts China opened their ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2025 campaign with a commanding 8 \u2013 1 victory<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[65],"class_list":["post-6662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-table-tennis"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Wang-Chuqin-and-Sun-Yingsha-delivered-the-first-three-points.jpg",1536,1024,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Wang-Chuqin-and-Sun-Yingsha-delivered-the-first-three-points-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Wang-Chuqin-and-Sun-Yingsha-delivered-the-first-three-points-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Wang-Chuqin-and-Sun-Yingsha-delivered-the-first-three-points-768x512.jpg",640,427,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Wang-Chuqin-and-Sun-Yingsha-delivered-the-first-three-points-1024x683.jpg",640,427,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Wang-Chuqin-and-Sun-Yingsha-delivered-the-first-three-points.jpg",1536,1024,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Wang-Chuqin-and-Sun-Yingsha-delivered-the-first-three-points.jpg",1536,1024,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Wang-Chuqin-and-Sun-Yingsha-delivered-the-first-three-points-825x575.jpg",825,575,true],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Wang-Chuqin-and-Sun-Yingsha-delivered-the-first-three-points-590x410.jpg",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/newsbeat\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Newsbeat<\/a>","tag_info":"Newsbeat","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Wang-Chuqin-and-Sun-Yingsha-delivered-the-first-three-points.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6662"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6667,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6662\/revisions\/6667"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}