On December 6, the second phase of the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup in Chengdu began, and the eight teams from the group stage started a single round-robin. After accidentally losing the first game, the Chinese team defeated the first opponent Slovakia 8-1 and made a "good start".
In the first stage of the competition, the Chinese team won all three games and won the first group. The Slovak team, which is in the second group, was upset in the first game, defeating the Portuguese team with obvious improvement in the women's line 8-5. Subsequently, the team defeated Egypt 8-2 and lost 1-8 to Germany, finishing second in the group and advancing to the quarterfinals.
In the first set of mixed doubles matches on the evening of the 6th, the Chinese team sent a combination of Lin Gaoyuan and Wang Yidi. Half a month ago, the national table tennis held a selection tournament in the form of mixed doubles, and the "Yuandi" combination defeated Lin Shidong, Kuo Man, Liang Jingkun, Qian Tianyi and other strong combinations, standing out from the internal competition. However, in this battle, facing Zelinka Kukulova, who is only ranked 48th in the world, the two fell into passivity at the beginning. Although they took the lead at the end of the game, the two then missed two game points and lost the first game 12-14.
Then the "Yuandi" combination withstood the pressure and won two consecutive cities 11-7, and the Chinese team took the lead 2-1. After the game, Wang Yidi bluntly said that there was no problem with the cooperation between the two, but he was a little nervous when he first came on the court, and some balls were not handled well in the first game. Lin Gaoyuan said that after missing the opportunity in the first game, the two adjusted their skills and tactics in time, and actively mobilized in the second game, grasped the start and turned the situation around.
In the second set, the Chinese team sent Wang Manyu again. In the final round of the group stage, Wang Manyu, ranked second in the world, lost 1-2 to the 11th-ranked Puerto Rican player Diaz, which was also the "only two" two games lost by the Chinese team in the first stage. This time, Wang Manyu quickly got into the groove, and soon swept Balazova 11-6 to help the host extend the lead to 5-1.
In the men's singles competition, the Chinese team sent the world's No. 1 Fan Zhendong, and the Slovak team sent the Chinese chipper Wang Yang to the battle. In the first two games, the two sides fought fiercely, and Fan Zhendong grasped the key points and took the advantage of 11-7 in the two games. In the third game, "Little Fat" did not give the opponent another chance, and won the offensive battle 11-4, and the Chinese team also locked the victory 8-1. After the game, Fan Zhendong said that he prepared and executed well in the service round, but he was a little too careful in the opening of the serve, "After winning the first game, I am relatively bolder, and I play more 'open', and the effect will be better." ”
Courtesy of ITTF.