Germany made a statement start at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals London 2026, edging Japan 3-2 in a thrilling opening match.
What looked on paper like a clash worthy of the later rounds quickly lived up to expectations inside the OVO Arena Wembley. Germany against Japan a rematch of the Tokyo Olympic semi-final – delivered three hours of high-level table tennis, five singles matches and multiple momentum swings.
Dang QIU emerged as the standout performer for Germany. After a tight opening, the European singles champion took control against Sora MATSUSHIMA, winning 3-0 (12-10, 11-3, 11-3). He then produced another commanding display against world number three Tomokazu HARIMOTO, again winning in straight games 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-10), showcasing aggressive, high-tempo play that repeatedly forced errors from his opponent.
Despite Qiu’s brilliance, Germany had to fight back. Benedikt DUDA pushed HARIMOTO to the limit but fell 2-3 (8-11, 11-10, 8-11, 11-8, 6-11), while Patrick FRANZISKA was narrowly beaten by Shunsuke TOGAMI 2-3 (11-5, 10-12, 9-11, 11-5, 6-11), allowing Japan to take a 2-1 lead.
Qiu’s second victory restored parity, leaving Duda to decide the tie. The German rose to the occasion, defeating MATSUSHIMA 3-1 (11-5, 6-11, 11-8, 11-7) to seal a dramatic 3-2 win.
“It feels like a big victory, even if it’s only the group stage,” said head coach Jörg ROßKOPF. “It was a great match, very intense. The guys played well against a top team that wants to win the title. Dang was outstanding, Benne finished it strongly, and Patrick also performed well. This gives us confidence.”
While the group phase is as much about positioning as survival, this result sends a clear message. Germany are ready. For Japan, the defeat is not decisive, but it could influence their path in the knockout stage, potentially leading to an earlier meeting with top favourites China.
Germany will next face France later in the evening, while their women’s team, after a 3-1 win over France, take on hosts England.
In another Group 1 encounter, China opened with a convincing 3-0 win over England. Lin SHIDONG defeated Tom JARVIS in straight games (11-9, 11-5, 11-8), Wang CHUQIN overcame Samuel WALKER 3-1 (11-9, 11-6, 11-13, 11-6), and Liang JINGKUN sealed the tie by edging Connor GREEN in five games (11-7, 5-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9).
Sweden also impressed with a strong 3-0 victory over Korea Republic. Truls MOREGARD recovered after dropping the opening game to beat AN Jaehyun (8-11, 11-5, 11-2, 12-10), Anton KALLBERG followed with a 3-1 win against JANG Woojin (4-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-8), while Mattias KARLSSON sealed the result in a hard-fought five-game encounter against OH Junsung (11-6, 8-11, 10-12, 16-14, 11-2).
France, meanwhile, delivered a commanding 3-0 win over Chinese Taipei in Group 2. Alexis LEBRUN defeated KUO Guan-Hong (11-8, 11-8, 11-6), Felix LEBRUN overcame FENG Yi-Hsin (11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5), and Simon GAUZY completed the sweep with a straight-games victory against HSU Hsien-Chia (11-8, 11-8, 11-7).
Germany off to winning start, take revenge against France
Germany opened their campaign at the Women’s Event at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals London 2026 with a 3-1 win over France, securing a long-awaited revenge for their narrow quarterfinal defeat in Busan two years ago.
The tie did not begin as expected, with Ying HAN suffering a 1-3 loss to Prithika PAVADE. “I thought I would do better, but it turned out very differently… I played too passively at the important moments,” she admitted.
Germany responded immediately. Sabine WINTER levelled the score with a confident 3-0 win over Charlotte LUTZ, explaining: “I tried not to focus on the score, but on my game point by point. I knew we had a strong team and would get the three points.”
The turning point came with Nina MITTELHAM, who edged a high-quality five-game battle against Jia Nan Yuan. “After my last loss to her, I knew it wouldn’t be easy… but in the end I handled the close moments well,” she said, highlighting the team support that helped her push through.
HAN then returned to seal the victory, defeating LUTZ in four games. “When the others had won two points, I just had to take the third and finish it,” she added.
Head coach Tamara BOROS kept the bigger picture in mind: “Everything we play now is preparation for the most important part of the tournament. It’s good to win a close match it gives us confidence.”
Japan opened their Group 2 campaign with a dominant 3-0 win over England. Miwa HARIMOTO was in complete control against Tianer YU (11-0, 11-2, 11-7), Hina HAYATA followed with a 3-1 victory over Tin-Tin HO (12-10, 13-11, 6-11, 11-3), while Miyu NAGASAKI sealed the tie with a straight-games win against Jasmin WONG (11-8, 11-7, 12-10).
China also made a strong start, beating Romania 3-0. SUN Yingsha overcame Adina DIACONU (12-10, 11-5, 11-6), KUAI Man defeated Andreea DRAGOMAN (11-6, 11-6, 11-2), and WANG Yidi completed the sweep with a win over Elena ZAHARIA (11-6, 11-4, 11-6).
