China's Dominant Start: Olympic Stars Lead Mixed Team World Cup Title Defense

Olympic champions Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha earned China a three-game lead after sweeping Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem 12-10, 11-8, 12-10 in the mixed doubles.

"As each match only consists of three games, every point is more important in this tournament," said men's world No. 1 Wang Chuqin. "We had trailed in the match but gradually adjusted ourselves to bounce back."

"We met Wong and Doo many times in the last Olympic cycle, and we are familiar with each other. They played really tough, and we felt much better after narrowly winning the first game," Sun added.

Kuai Man moved China further ahead after triumphing 11-4, 11-9, 9-11 over Zhu Chengzhu in the women's singles, and Lin Shidong sealed the victory with an 11-3, 11-4, 11-1 victory over Lam Siu Hang in the men's singles, reports Xinhua.

The eight-day ITTF Mixed Team World Cup adopts a different competition format from other team events, beginning with mixed doubles, followed by women's singles and men's singles, and then men's and women's doubles if required, with their order of play determined by the team captain of the lower-ranked team.

Each individual match consists of three games, resulting in either a 3-0 or 2-1 scoreline. Team matches continue until one side secures eight game victories.

The tournament was inaugurated in 2023, and China has won the past two editions. Since the mixed team event was included at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games earlier this year, teams would attach greater importance to the Mixed Team World Cup in their Olympic preparations.

Also on Sunday, South Korea defeated Sweden 8-3, Chinese Taipei cruised past the United States 8-3, and Egypt edged Chile 8-7 in a five-match thriller.

Sixteen teams are divided into four groups, with China drawn into Group 1 alongside China's Hong Kong, Egypt, and Chile. China faces Egypt on Monday.

- IANS