The penultimate day of the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup has come and gone and proved as dramatic as anticipated with Japan placing third on the ladder and guaranteed to be taking home the bronze medal after losing to China 5-8 in a tight contest. China and Korea Republic remain in contention for the medal with history to be made tomorrow on the final day of the Mixed Team World Cup.

Kicking off the day, Korea Republic secured their spot in the race for the gold medal with a hard-fought 8-6 victory over Germany. Doubles has proven to be crucial in the new mixed team format, as seen over the past week and notably in this match, provided Korea Republic with the advantage they required to overcome Germany. The mixed doubles pairing of Jang Woojin and Jeon Jihee overpowered Sabine Winter and Cedric Messiner to give them a 3-0 headstart and later on the in the men’s doubles, Lim Jonghoon and An Jaehyun partnered together to take three games and set up the team to take the win.

“This competition was very interesting, thanks to our male players. We had the opportunity to come to Chengdu to participate in the competition and experience various fun things, which was really great. Our female players also gave their all in the competition, and we look forward to participating in such interesting competitions in the future,” Jeon Jihee reflects on the new Mixed Team playing system.

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Concluding the day, China triumphed over Japan with an exciting 8-5 win in a thrilling showdown to take them one step closer to the gold medal. Japan made a promising start with Miwa Harimoto and Shunsuke Togami teaming up to take the mixed doubles 2-1. However, Wang Manyu the star of Team China in tonight’s match came on to claim three games in the women’s singles which she then later followed up with two more games in the women’s doubles joining forces with Chen Meng. China’s win was secured by team captain Ma Long and Wang Chuqin in men’s doubles.

“Winning both of my matches today was definitely not easy, especially in the women’s doubles. I felt that my overall performance was quite good. Whether it was my on-court movements or my level of concentration, I was in a state of complete focus and dedication. Both times I played today, the scores were extremely close, especially in the women’s doubles. Chen Meng and I put in a lot of preparation before the match, both in terms of our tactics and our readiness for challenging situations. The opponents were indeed very skilled and had unique playing styles. We fought for each point on the court and managed to establish a lead for our team in the end. I’m really happy about that.” Wang Manyu

Irrespective of tomorrow’s match outcome between Japan and Germany, Japan has secured the bronze medal in the Mixed Team World Cup. Throughout a demanding week of competition, they showcased a true mastery of technical skills and demonstrated exceptional teamwork especially in clinching five games against China.

Tomorrow, fans can look forward to an epic face-off between China and Korea Republic, vying for the opportunity to etch their names in history as the inaugural champions of the Mixed Team World Cup.