The race to qualify for Stage 2 at ITTF Mixed Team World Cup Chengdu 2024 presented by CHINA TELECOM is heating up, with Australia’s 8-7 comeback win over USA adding extra spice to the Group 1 standings.
On the receiving end of an 8-0 loss inflicted by China on Day 1, Australia knew a Day 2 response was absolutely necessary to keep the dream alive, but the early signs didn’t paint an encouraging picture for the team from Down Under.
Watching the opening three games pass them by, Australia would soon be backed into an even tighter corner as Tiffany Ke overcame Constantina Psihogios 2-1 (11-9, 8-11, 11-6) to send USA into a healthy 1-5 lead.
But remarkably that’s when the Australian comeback train would kick into action, with Nicholas Lum putting three games past Xiangjing Zhang (11-5, 11-8, 11-3) before picking up the following Men’s Doubles 2-1 to bring the score to 6-6.
With the tide turning against them, Sally Moyland and Tiffany Ke dug deep to save two match points in game 14. But the day would ultimately belong to Australia as Constantina Psihogios and Jian Fang Lay stuck the landing in the 15th, prompting wild scenes of celebration from the team.
“I think it started from the coach. He told me that you’re just going into that match and don’t think too much about the team’s score, and I think that really helped my mindset. I played really well, and didn’t feel much pressure… Anything is possible, we just have to stay in the moment, and play for every point, every set. Today we were down 1-5, and we managed to win the match, so anything is possible in this format. No matter what position we are, tomorrow we just have to stay focused, trust our preparation and fight.” Nicholas Lum
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There was drama early on in the exchange between Romania and Singapore, as the latter team threatened a big upset against the European outfit in Group 3.
Picking up a game in the opening doubles, Singapore would earn two more games in the following singles match as Zeng Jian produced a stunning effort to see off Bernadette Szocs (11-9, 9-11, 11-8), levelling the match score at 3-3.
However, the Romanian team quickly put any doubts to bed, as Eduard Ionescu batted away opposition from Izaac Quek (11-5, 11-9, 12-10) before Romania added the Men’s Doubles to its tally to close out an 8-3 win.
“I’m very happy with my singles and doubles performance. The singles was tough. We played a lot of times together, sometimes he wins, sometimes I win, so I knew it would be tough even if it was 3-0. All the sets were balanced, and honestly, I’m very happy about our doubles win. We didn’t play so much in the last month together, but as you could see, we are still in shape.” Eduard Ionescu
Defending champion China has continued its perfect start to the week in Chengdu, banking its second successive 8-0 win with a blemish-free display against India. Meanwhile, Korea Republic has pulled clear at the summit of Group 3 after chalking up an impressive 8-1 victory over Chinese Taipei.
