Chengdu, China – On Wednesday the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Mixed Team World Cup saw China dominate Croatia, winning 8‑0 to claim their fourth consecutive victory. Mixed‑doubles champions Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha opened the match with a clean 3‑0 streak, defeating Ivor Ban and Hana Arapovic 11‑6, 11‑5, 11‑5.
Sun Yingsha remarked, “As the tournament progresses, our opponents will be stronger. Each individual match will be important to the final result; hopefully, we can stay together and go all out in every match for the win.”
Defending champions Kuai Man added three more points for China with a swift 11‑2, 11‑5, 11‑5 win over Ivana Malobabic, according to Xinhua. “Their arrangements of players were a little different from what we had expected. Facing a chopper, I made adjustments accordingly before the match, and just showed my level today,” Kuai explained.
Lin Shidong secured another decisive win for the hosts after edging Tomislav Pucar 14‑12, 11‑4. “With my teammates already leading 6‑0 in games, I felt steady and sure when I entered the play, and was given more space to unleash my full potential,” Lin said.
South Korea edged France 8‑7 in a hard‑fought tie. After four matches left the score level at 6‑6, Kim Na‑yeong and Choi Hyo‑joo rallied from a game down to upset France’s Yuan Jianan and Prithika Pavade 8‑11, 11‑3, 11‑9 in the women’s‑doubles decider.
Japan defeated Hong Kong 8‑2, while Germany beat Sweden 8‑5 on Wednesday. Both Japan and Germany remained undefeated after four rounds.
Looking ahead, the defending champions will face South Korea in the morning session before taking on France on Thursday.
China had rounded off the group stage on Tuesday with an 8‑0 rout of Chile, topping the standings with an unblemished record in the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup. Japan, South Korea, and Germany also finished unbeaten after three group matches.
Facing debutant Chile, the title‑holders showed their class from the outset. No. 1 mixed‑doubles pair Lin Shidong and Kuai Man overcame an early challenge before sweeping Chile’s Nicolas Burgos and Paulina Vega 13‑11, 11‑3, 11‑3.
Other results on Tuesday saw Japan outplay Croatia 8‑2, South Korea sweep the United States 8‑0, and Germany take in Brazil 8‑2.
The ITTF Mixed Team World Cup follows a best‑of‑15 format. Each tie begins with mixed doubles, followed by women’s singles and men’s singles. If needed, the order of the remaining doubles matches will be decided by the captain of the lower‑ranked team. China aims to secure its third straight title at home, as the tournament continues through Sunday.
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