LONDON, May 4 (Xinhua) -- China opened its knockout campaign with a 3-1 win over Poland on Monday to advance to the women's team last 16 at the 2026 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals.
Top-ranked Sun Yingsha gave China a strong start with an 11-3, 11-6, 11-8 victory over Zuzanna Wielgos.
Facing world No. 59 Natalia Bajor, team worlds debutant Kuai Man cruised to an 11-3 win in the first game. But the momentum shifted afterward as Bajor, the highest-ranked player in Poland's squad, fought back strongly to win the next three games 11-9, 11-9 and 15-13 and level the tie.
"I got into the match early, but when leading in the second game, I had some unforced errors, and she put me under pressure with her serves and first three strokes. When it came to the crucial points in the fourth game, I was a little bit flustered," Kuai said.
"I need to improve on the mentality and the ability to read the game. Sometimes I would over think the result. I need to believe in myself more," she added.
Playing her first match in London, world No. 2 Wang Manyu put China back in front after overwhelming Katarzyna Wegrzyn 11-5, 11-4, 11-4.
"As it was my first match here, I was a little nervous at the start," Wang admitted. "But as the match progressed, I was more focused on the court."
In a meeting between the two sides' top singles players, Sun sealed victory for China with a commanding 11-2, 11-3, 11-5 win over Bajor.
"We met some problems today, which was normal. In a team competition, our aim is to get the three points, so we don't need to put too much pressure on ourselves. Like today, whatever the score was, we were just focused on our own game," Sun said.
China will next face Sweden, which eliminated Kazakhstan 3-1.
In other women's fixtures, Hong Kong, China edged Wales in a five-match thriller, and Ukraine beat host England 3-1.
In the men's team event, Japan beat Belgium 3-1, Hong Kong, China swept DPR Korea 3-0, Croatia notched a 3-2 win over Italy, and Kazakhstan defeated Spain 3-1.
China will play Australia in the men's team round of 32 on Tuesday. ■
