Busan, South Korea, February 25 (Xinhua News Agency) (Reporter Tan Chang, Su Bin, Feng Yasong) scored on the serve and successfully defended the title! Ma Long clenched his left hand into a fist and tapped the table with his right hand to celebrate his ninth World Table Tennis Championships team championship in a slightly restrained way and bid farewell to the World Championships stage. On the evening of the 25th, in the men's team final of the 2024 Busan World Table Tennis Team Championships, the Chinese team defeated the French team 3:0 and achieved the 11th consecutive championship of the World Table Tennis Championships. This is also the 23rd time that the Chinese men's team has won the Swaythling Cup.
On February 25, Chinese team coach Wang Hao (third from right), players Liang Jingkun (first from left), Fan Zhendong (second from left), Ma Long (third from left), Wang Chuqin (second from right), and Lin Gaoyuan held the championship trophy high at the award ceremony. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Tao After the game, Ma Long told the audience that this was his last World Championships match, and that his World Championships journey was perfect if it ended in victory.
The lineup of the Chinese team was the same as when it defeated the South Korean team in the semifinals, with Wang Chuqin, Fan Zhendong and Ma Long appearing successively. The French team is played by the Lebrun brothers and Goetz.
In the first set, Wang Chuqin faced straight board player Felix Lebrun. Wang Chuqin was good both offensively and defensively in the game, making the new European star under the age of 18 more and more impatient. It took less than 20 minutes for Wang Chuqin to win 3-0.
On February 25, China's Wang Chuqin returned the ball in the first set and defeated France's Felix Lebrun 3-0. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yang Shiyao Fan Zhendong faced his brother Alex in the Lebrun brothers in the second set. In the first game, when Fan Zhendong was leading 8:4, the opponent returned the ball slightly and landed on the ground, but the referee recorded this point on Fan Zhendong's head, and Fan Zhendong took the initiative to signal that the opponent scored. After the score was changed, Alex continued to chase the points and won the first game 11:9. In the second game, Fan Zhendong won 11:4 cleanly. In the third game, Alex actively grabbed and won another game with 11:8. Fan Zhendong, who was behind in the game, adjusted his rhythm through pauses, serves, wiping sweat and other opportunities, gradually took control of the situation, and won two games in a row to win 3:2. The Chinese team led 2:0.
On February 25, China's Fan Zhendong celebrated his victory in the second set with a 3-2 victory over France's Alex Lebrun. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Tao Ma Long and Goetz have fought 4 times before and have won all of them. In the first game between the two, Goetz let go and put some pressure on Malone with his backhand, winning the first game 11-7. In the next three games, Malone allowed his opponent to score a total of 12 points. Like the women's team final the day before, Ma Long also helped the Chinese team successfully defend their title with a service score.
On February 25, China's Ma Long returned the ball in the third set, and he defeated France's Goetz 3-1. Photo by Chinese News Agency reporter Tao Xiyi "Wang Chuqin played very well in the first game and was able to score the first point for the team. Fan Zhendong also played a very exciting game with Lebrun. Ma Long, who lost in the semi-finals, said that he was grateful to the team and teammates for their trust and gave him the opportunity to stand on the stage of the final.
With the Chinese team lifting the Swaythling Cup for the 23rd time, this tournament is over. Fan Zhendong and Sun Yingsha were awarded the best male and female athletes respectively.