Korea and China Represented with Two Teams in the Semis

At the conclusion of the preliminary stage which gathered sixteen teams, the qualification of the Chinese teams for the semi-finals was awaited. Both teams are reigning world champions (winning the title in Guangzhou, China earlier this year) and the question was to know which teams would also be in race for medals.

China’s Men Smash Austria
In the Group A, the male Chinese team secured its first place beating Austria 3-0. The Chinese won all three matches without granting their opponents any chance. Austria, which ends second, is henceforth in the run for the bronze medal. Greece takes the third place and Australia ends fourth.

Croatia Second behind Impeccable Germans
The final rankings of the Group B are also without surprise. Team Germany, head of the group and nr. 2 of the tournament, overcame Singapore 3-1 to secure the first spot, whilst Singapore only ended third. The Croatian Men’s team prevailed in the morning session against Singapore finished on second place. For the latter as well as for Canada the team event is over after the Round Robin.

Ryu’s Performances like a Rollercoaster
Often struggling, the Koreans won through. In spite of a new defeat of RYU Seung Min today against CHUAN Chi-Yuan, Korea also reached the semi-finals.

”The first match I didn’t play well, but we played the second match better. In the doubles match, we played better, said RYU Seung Min, the reigning Olympic champion. “We were nervous, many people were supporting Chinese Taipei and it was difficult to play in front of a home crowd.” Chinese Taipei ends logically second having beaten yesterday brave Swedish 3-2. Brazil ends fourth and is also eliminated from the race for medals.

Japan’s Youth Impressed Bill Gates and Nigeria Historic
It is in the Group D where the only top seeded team did not prevail. The young Japanese team with KAN Yo, MIZUTANI Jun and KISHIKAWA Seiya brought down the experienced team from Hong Kong followed by Microsoft founder Bill GATES, a table tennis fan. The Japanese have henceforth two chances of medal.

”In the past we have never defeated Hong Kong China”, explained MIYASAKI Yoshihito, the Japanese coach. “Before the match today, I told my players that we would have to prove who is stronger through the competition. In terms of world rankings, Hong Kong China is ranked higher than us, but today we were luckier, especially with that last ball.” Hong Kong will try to get a Bronze Medal from tomorrow morning. Russia finally ends fourth after its surprising defeat against Nigeria which took down a historic victory.


Women’s Team Event

Chinese Dominance
In the women’s tournament, the competition is also exciting. The Chinese qualified themselves for the semi-finals ending as the first in Group A. They did not lose a single match and their route is in accordance with their male counterparts. Austria can also aspire a medal, the bronze one, after finishing second in group. Croatia and the Dominican Republic ended 3rd and 4th respectively.

Singapore dominated the Group B with three victories of 3-0. The team from the Netherlands was expected to catch the second place but it was eventually the US team thanks to their 3-1 success against the Europeans. Nigeria, representative of the African continent, ended fourth.

Hong Kong Superior – Romanian Late Night Win
Hong Kong China realised a perfect performance and can hope to pick up a medal in this team tournament. The victory obtained this evening on Germany demonstrated the superiority of the Hong Kong players.

The Germans ended on the fourth place after their defeat against Rumania yesterday in the opening session (3-0). After this exploit, the Rumanians had to wait for the decisive competition tonight against Poland to pursue the adventure and dream of a bronze medal. "It is really the friendship and the solidarity in the team that allowed us to win this evening”, explained a smiling Daniela Dodean after Romania had overcome Poland. “To compete at our first Olympic Games and to realise this course, it is unexpected for young players."

Korea with a Clean Record
The duel between Korea and Japan was promising. However, Korea imposed with the score of 3-0 against all its opponents, notably to the Japanese who will compete for the bronze medal. Spain and Australia complete the classification of the last group.

The Draw for Friday, 15th August
The final stage of the team events will bring matches between the four group winners. The losers of these matches will play against the winners of the bronze medal play-off.

Men’s Team Event Semi-Finals
China – Korea
Japan – Germany

Bronze Medal Play-Off
Hong Kong – Chinese Taipei
Austria – Croatia


Women’s Team Event Semi-Finals
China – Hong Kong
Korea – Singapore

Bronze Medal Play-Off
Japan – Austria
Romania – USA