NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's women's table tennis team swept DPR Korea, while the men's team beat Chinese Taipei to reach their respective finals at the 2026 Asian Games on Wednesday.
China fielded Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu and Kuai Man in the women's team semifinal against DPR Korea's Pyon Song Gyong, Kim Kum Yong and Cha Su Yong, sweeping the tie 3-0 without dropping a game.
"As the first player for ours, I hoped to make a good start for the team and show our fighting spirit and intensity on court," Sun said.
China will meet host Japan in the final, with Japan reaching the title clash after a 3-0 win over South Korea in the other semifinal.
In the men's team event, Japan's Sora Matsushima, Tomokazu Harimoto and Shunsuke Togami swept South Korea 3-0 to become the first team to reach the final.
China, however, ran into some trouble in the other semifinal.
In the opening match, Wang Chuqin won the first two games 11-8, 11-9, but Chinese Taipei's Lin Yun-ju fought back to take the next two 11-9, 11-8. Wang then edged Lin 15-13 in the deciding game to seal the match.
"I played pretty well in the first two games and should have taken the chance to finish the match. But my opponent fought back strongly and put me under a lot of pressure," said Wang, "I still feel a little shaken. It's a match I need to learn from and reflect on,"
Lin Shidong then eased the pressure on China with a commanding 3-0 win over Feng Yi-hsin, while Wen Ruibo beat Chinese Taipei's 17-year-old Kuo Guan-hong 3-1 to send China into the final with a 3-1 victory.
"Compared with the past, I feel China's overall depth has declined a little," Matsushima said. "Of course, if we face China, we know they are very strong in team events. But I think if we can play our game and perform at our best, we have a chance to beat them."
Earlier in the mixed doubles, China's Lin and Kuai advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory over Thailand's Phakpoom Sanguansin and Orawan Paranang. Their teammates Wang and Sun also reached the quarterfinals after a 3-0 win over Chinese Taipei's Feng and Yeh Yi-tian. Japan's Matsushima and Miwa Harimoto advanced with a 3-2 victory over South Korea's Oh Jun-sung and Kim Na-yeong.
The men's and women's team finals will be held Thursday evening. ■
