Honours even to start for Chinese Taipei & Korea Republic (2014 Tokyo)

Welcome back to the 2014 World Team Table Tennis Championships, here in Tokyo. It has been an even start to proceedings as Team Chinese Taipei and Team Korea Republic are locked at 1-1 after two matches.

Joo Saehyuk first beat Chen Chien-An (11-3, 12-14, 11-6, 11-13, 8-11) before Chen’s colleague Chuang Chih-Yuan balanced things out with a 3-1 win over the talented Jeoung Youngsik (11-4, 10-12, 11-6, 12-10). Who will blink first in this quarter-final?

Li and Cao upset the favorites (2009 Yokohama)

Well well well, what have we here! The favorities for the title and gold medal in the mixed doubles’ category have been soundly defeated by the underdogs, as Li Ping and Cao Zhen win 4-2 (11-6, 4-11, 11-7, 9-11, 13-11, 11-8) against Zhang Jike and Mu Zi!

In a battle of high stakes and even higher ratio of never-ending rallies, Li and Cao have certainly made a name for themselves after doing what many thought was impossible! Despite the best efforts of Zhang and Mu, their Chinese teammates were just not to be foiled of their World Champions status today.

Wang wins Chinese duel (2009 Yokohama)

Things are heating up here at the 2009 World Table Tennis Championships in Yokohoma, Japan as a Chinese domestic with certain sparks has just been concluded in the quarter-finals.

Wang Liqin faced off against his compatriot and friend, Chen Qi in a hugely entertaining match. With each passing game, the crowd was forced to reconsider the possibility of the other players’ victory as Wang and Chen traded wins and the balance of the play was hardly shifting. Showing his true ability to stay clam under pressure, Wang managed to turn the tide after going 2-3 down in the fifth game, winning the final two to secure his place in the semi-finals (8-11, 11-4, 11-6, 10-12, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8)!

Moon Hyungjung shocks Wang Nan! (2005 Shanghai)

Welcome to the 2005 World Table Tennis Championships in Shanghai, where we have already seen a significant departure in the big-names list!

China’s legendary Wang Nan, on her way to a fourth consecutive title after winning in Eindhoven (1999), Osaka (2001) and Paris (2003) has been eliminated by Korea Republic’s Moon Hyungjung in a seven-game nail-biter (14-12, 4-11, 11-6, 5-11, 14-12, 12-14, 11-8)! The strength of Wang on the speed of her shots was neutralized by one of the last remaining Korea Republic female pen-holders, as Moon only used one side of her racket to extract and unforeseen power in her returns.