With the dust settles on the 1 16 finals and 1 8 finals of the 2024 World Table Tennis Championships in Busan, the list of the top eight of this tournament has been released. In the fierce competition, many strong teams were unexpectedly defeated, including Sweden and Slovenia in the men's team, while the top eight seeds in the women's team successfully advanced. The national table tennis men's and women's teams will face a severe test in the next 1 4 finals, and fans are full of expectations for their performance.
In the men's team competition, the exit of Sweden and Slovenia, two European powerhouses, undoubtedly became the biggest upset. As a long-term opponent of national table tennis, the Swedish men's team has locked in the qualification for the Paris Olympics in advance before the World Table Tennis Championships, but it was in a sluggish state in this tournament and finally missed the quarterfinals. The Slovenian men's team also failed to escape the fate of the upset, losing to the Danish team in the 1 8 finals and unfortunately exiting.
The Hong Kong men's team had a good performance against Austria, with Wong Chun-ting scoring two points alone, but unfortunately Lam Siu-hang and Chan Ho-wah were unable to withstand the pressure at crucial moments, resulting in a 2-3 defeat and a lack of further qualification for the Olympic Games. In another game, the Kazakhstan men's team also lost 2-3 to the Indian men's team and missed the quarterfinals.
The Chinese Taipei men's team has become the biggest dark horse of this World Table Tennis Championships. In the 1 8 finals, they faced the powerful Swedish men's team and showed tenacious fighting spirit. Lin Yunru's outstanding performance sealed the victory for the team, and he defeated Sweden's Falke and Moregard in succession. In the deciding set, Gao Chengrui swept the world champion Falke with a devastating momentum, helping the Chinese Taipei team defeat the opponent 3-2 and advance to the quarterfinals. The victory not only qualified Chinese Taipei for the Paris Olympics, but also gave them confidence in the upcoming competitions.
Compared with the upsets in the men's team field, the women's team competition is not shocking. Top eight seeds China, Japan, Germany, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Hong Kong, Romania and France all advanced to the quarterfinals. Among them, the Chinese Taipei team led by Zheng Yijing eliminated the Indian team that had caused trouble for the national table tennis in the group stage 3-1 in the 1 8 finals and successfully advanced to the next round.
With the determination of the top eight lists, the 1 4 finals of the men's team and the women's team have also been revealed. The Chinese men's team will face the Japanese team in the next match, which is undoubtedly a battle that has attracted much attention. In terms of the women's team, the Chinese team will have a fierce battle with the South Korean team. In other matchups, the French men's team will play against Portugal, and the Chinese Taipei men's team will challenge Germany; In the women's team, France will face Germany, while Chinese Taipei will face a derby against Hong Kong.
The men's and women's teams at this year's Busan World Table Tennis Championships can be described as exciting and unpopular. In the next 1 4 finals, the teams will compete more fiercely for the Olympic qualification. As one of the favorites to win the championship, the national table tennis men's and women's teams have become the focus of fans' attention on whether they can play their best in the face of strong opponents and successfully advance to the next round of the competition. Let's wait and see, and look forward to the national table tennis soldiers to achieve better results in the next competitions!