CHENGDU — The 56th ITTF World Team Championship officially kicked off on Friday with the Malaysian women’s team taking on Puerto Rico in their opening match.
The Chengdu ITTF World Team Championship, originally scheduled for April, was postponed to September 30 to October 9 because of the Covid pandemic, and was the first major international tournament held in China after the pandemic.
A total of 32 men’s teams and 28 women’s teams competed in the tournament. China has won the men’s Swaythling Cup 21 times, Hungary 12 times and Japan 7 times.
Since the 2000 final against Sweden, China has not let the men’s team championship fall by the wayside, has completed nine consecutive titles, and this year will be trying to reach for 10 consecutive titles.
As for the women’s team, China has also won the Kobyln Cup 21 times, Japan 8 times and Romania 5 times. China’s women’s team is aiming for a fifth consecutive title and 22nd champion in team history.
The Chinese men’s and women’s teams sent Fan Zhendong, Ma Long, Liang Jingkun, Wang Chuqin, Lin Gaoyuan, and Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng, Wang Manyu, Wang Yidi, and Chen Xingtong. It seems like they, as the host of the game, are determined to win the championship for both the men’s and women’s team.
Malaysia are in the same team as US and Puerto Rico
The draw for the men’s and women’s teams was made yesterday and the hosts, China, landed the men’s team in Group 1 with Slovenia, the United States, Puerto Rico and Thailand. The women’s team is also in Group 1, with the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Malaysia. Malaysia will challenge Puerto Rico on the first day of the tournament tomorrow.
The team competition at this year’s ITTF World Team Championship begins with the preliminary stage from September 30 to October 4 to produce top 16 teams, before entering the knockout competition on October 5 to determine the champions on October 8 and 9.
“Tee Ai Xin never get too many opportunities in the previous SEA Games and Commonwealth Games. During this tournament, we will let her play more games, and surprisingly, her performance was quite consistent, which is something I’m glad to see.”
The Malaysian players will meet the Chinese players on Tuesday, which is an opportunity they’ve never imagined. Therefore, she hopes that the team will take advantage of it, fight till the end, and learn from the best players in the world.
This year’s ITTF World Team Championship will be held in two stages, with Stage 1 being a group round robin, with the top two teams in the group advancing directly to the knockout stage. Teams with the highest world rankings (two men’s teams and four women’s teams) that are ranked 3rd in the group will also get the chance to enter into stage 2.
Count on the U.S. to win Puerto Rico 3-2
Whether Malaysia can enter into the knockout stage will depend on the Tuesday’s match between the United States and Puerto Rico, provided the US beats Puerto Rico with 3-2. Once Malaysia finishes 3rd in the group, then they will not be able to qualify, as Malaysia, ranked 58th in the world, is the lowest ranked team in the world among the 28 teams participating.
“There’s no way around it, we’re in a pretty passive position,” said Beh. “Only if the US win 3-2 over Puerto Rico, can we enter the knockout stage as 2nd place in group. If we succeed, then we will have more chance to play and learn. Our position right now is in a passive one. I hope the players will keep it well in mind that they have to seize the opportunities that are in favour. If they act passively, then they can only end up depending on others.”
According to the schedule, the preliminary stage for this year’s ITTF World Team Championship will be held from September 30 to October 4, producing the top 16 teams, which will be contested in the knockout stage on October 5, with the women’s and men’s team champions to be decided on October 8 and 9 respectively.
Translated from: China Press
