The afternoon session at the Team World Championships Finals in London saw England’s men take center stage, battling past Moldova 3-1 to secure their place in the next round after a demanding encounter.
The tie didn’t begin as planned for the hosts. Samuel WALKER was first to the table but found himself under pressure against Moldova’s leading player Vladislav URSU, who controlled the match to give his team the early advantage.
England responded immediately. Tom JARVIS produced an authoritative performance against Andrei PUTUNTICA, winning in straight games to level the tie and shift the momentum.
That momentum carried into the third match, where Connor GREEN showed resilience after dropping the opening game to Denis TERNA. Raising his level, GREEN took control of the rallies and turned the match around to put England ahead.
With a place in the Round of 16 within reach, JARVIS returned for the decisive clash against URSU. After a difficult start, the English number one grew into the contest, edging a crucial third game before completing a strong comeback to seal the overall victory and confirm England’s progress.
“It’s one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. I love the World Championships, especially with it being in England. We’ve had tough times as a team recently, so I hope this win can do a lot for us, bring us a lot of confidence. It was amazing to wear the England shirt and play here in London. All the training leading up to it has worked and hopefully we can push on in the last 16,” said Tom JARVIS. “I preferred the first battle I had with Andrei PUTUNTICA it was a little less stressful, there was some really tough moments in my last match. I don’t really know how I pulled through and raised my level like I did, maybe it’s just being in England and having that feeling of being home, so hopefully it just continues and we all continue to pull together.”
“It’s a really nice feeling to be able to play in front of people you know, to play in front of people who are pushing you to do well. I think all of us really relished that and tried to enjoy every moment we had on the court and tried to give as much as we can back within the game to the people watching as well. Wearing that England shirt is what you grow up wanting to do, you want to play in the biggest events for your country. I’m just really happy and proud that I can do that, and hopefully I can give some good performances along the way,” said Connor GREEN.
Romania came through one of the most intense encounters of the afternoon session, edging Poland 3-2 in a tie that swung back and forth until the very last match.
The opening clash immediately set the tone. Iulian CHIRIȚĂ recovered from a strong response by Milosz REDZIMSKI to seal a hard-fought 3-2 victory, giving Romania the early advantage. After building a two-game lead, CHIRIȚĂ saw his opponent fight back, but held firm in the decider to put his team in front.
Poland responded in the second match. Marek BADOWSKI delivered a straight-games win over Eduard IONESCU, levelling the overall score with a dominant display.
Romania regained control through Ovidiu IONESCU, who overcame Maciej KUBIK 3-1. With confident shot-making and composure in key moments, he restored Romania’s lead and brought them within one point of victory.
But the drama was far from over. REDZIMSKI returned to the table and produced a spirited comeback against Eduard IONESCU. After falling behind, the Polish player raised his level to turn the match around in five games, keeping his team alive and forcing a decisive fifth encounter.
All eyes then turned to the final match, where CHIRIȚĂ once again stepped up. Facing BADOWSKI, he produced a composed and confident performance, controlling the key rallies and closing out the match in straight games to secure Romania’s place in the next round.
France delivered convincing performance, sweeping aside USA 3-0 to move comfortably into the next stage.
Flavien COTON beat 3-1 Kanak JHA, handling the key moments with confidence. From there, France never looked back.
Felix LEBRUN produced a ruthless performance against Jishan LIANG, conceding just nine points across three games, before Simon GAUZY closed out the tie in emphatic fashion with a straight-games victory over Nandan NARESH.
Poland – Romania 2-3
- Milosz REDZIMSKI – Iulian CHIRITA 2-3 (8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-3, 7-11)
- Marek BADOWSKI – Eduard IONESCU 3-0 (11-8, 11-2, 11-8)
- Maciej KUBIK – Ovidiu IONESCU 1-3 (3-11, 9-11, 11-6, 6-11)
- Milosz REDZIMSKI – Eduard IONESCU 3-2 (7-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-5, 11-4)
- Marek BADOWSKI – Iulian CHIRITA 0-3 (4-11, 8-11, 10-12)
Moldova – England 1-3
- Vladislav URSU – Samuel WALKER 3-0 (11-6, 11-3, 11-8)
- Andrei PUTUNTICA – Tom JARVIS 0-3 (5-11, 9-11, 8-11)
- Denis TERNA – Connor GREEN 1-3 (11-9, 6-11, 3-11, 2-11)
- Vladislav URSU – Tom JARVIS 1-3 (11-5, 7-11, 10-12, 9-11)
USA – France 0-3
- Kanak JHA – Flavien COTON 1-3 (11-13, 11-8, 5-11, 9-11)
- Jishan LIANG – Felix LEBRUN 0-3 (5-11, 1-11, 3-11)
- Nandan NARESH – Simon GAUZY 0-3 (3-11, 4-11, 4-11)
