The Chinese men’s and women’s table tennis teams both triumphed at the World Championships in London, winning the men’s and women’s team titles in a single night. Just one day after their victories, Korean and Japanese media outlets weighed in with sharp analyses, and their attitudes were surprisingly aligned—acknowledging China’s resilience under pressure.
The men’s team, considered the weakest in 35 years by some observers, had a rocky start in the group stage, losing to both South Korea and Sweden. With no Fan Zhendong or Ma Long on the roster, the squad relied on Wang Chuqin—the only player with prior World Team Championship final experience—alongside injured players Lin Shidong, Liang Jingkun, and debutants Zhou Qihao and Xiang Peng. Critics predicted an early exit, and betting odds gave China only a 25% chance of winning the title. Meanwhile, Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto confidently declared, “It’s time for Japan to usher in a new era of table tennis,” after his team swept Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the semifinals.
The final pitted China against Japan, with Liang Jingkun facing Harimoto in the first match. Liang lost the first two games 8-11 and 4-11, but fought back to win the next two 11-9 and 13-11. The decisive game was the most dramatic: trailing 3-8, Liang won eight consecutive points to take the game 11-8. This was the second time in the tournament that Liang came back from 0-2 down, having done the same against South Korea’s An Jae-hyun in the quarterfinals.
Wang Chuqin then faced Shinoi Matsushima in the second singles. After losing the first game 8-11, Wang clawed back to win the next three, including a 12-10 thriller in the second and an 11-2 blowout in the third. He finished the tournament with a perfect 10-0 record and was named the Best Male Player by the ITTF.
Lin Shidong sealed the title with a 3-1 victory over Yukiya Uda, winning 11-9, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9.
After the match, a subdued Tomokazu Harimoto admitted, “The gap to gold is still very far. I just have to go back and keep training.” Korean media also faced embarrassment after Kim Woojin had boasted of ending China’s dominance following South Korea’s group-stage win, only for China to sweep them 3-0 in the quarterfinals.
The women’s team also secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Japan, bringing home the Corbillon Cup alongside the men’s Swaythling Cup. This marked the 20th time China has swept both team titles at the World Championships.
The night ended with Wang Chuqin rushing to embrace the former star Ma Long, who was watching from the sidelines—a testament to the resilience that defines Chinese table tennis, even when written off by the world.