In the semifinal clash which lasted over three hours, world No. 1 Fan Zhendong picked up two wins and saved China from the brink of defeat, while Wang Chuqin made amends for his opening loss with a straight-game victory in the decisive matchup, reports Xinhua.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Amid the loud cheers from the crowd at the full-packed Busan Exhibition and Convention Center, Wang stepped up to the table first, facing off against Jang Woo-jin, the highest-ranked player in South Korea's squad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Fueled by the home crowd's support, the 14th-ranked Jang raced ahead by one game at 11-7, but Wang pocketed eight points in a row on his way to an 11-2 victory in the second game to restore parity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
As both players focused on their first three strokes, quite a few rallies were seen for the most part of the match. Down 1-4 in the third game, Wang went neck and neck with his rival for an 11-all tie, before the home paddler scored two straight points to prevail.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Facing a 1-4 deficit in the fourth game, Wang called a timeout, while Jang's two catch-net points thwarted the comeback effort from the world No. 2, who fell 11-6 as it marked the first dropped set for the reigning champions in the Busan event.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Fan was next to hit the court, with the 18th-ranked Lim Jong-hoon across the table. Fan went ahead 7-4 in the opening game, but Lim put it on level terms at 7-all, before Fan kept his cool to win the game 11-8.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
China's top-ranked paddler had a perfect winning record in his previous four encounters with Lim, and he gained the upper hand throughout their duel, prevailing 11-6, 11-8 in the next two games to put his side level on the scoreboard.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The two sides turned to their veterans in the third set. 33-year-old home paddler Lee Sang-su took the initiative with an 11-7 victory in the first game. However, 35-year-old Olympic champion Ma Long, who had a 7-1 win-loss record in their head-to-heads, soon evened the match at 11-4.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In a pivotal third game, after the two players tied at 10-all, Lee snatched two late points to move ahead again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite emerging victorious 11-6 in the fourth game to level the score again, Ma fell 11-4 in the deciding game as South Korea gained a 2-1 advantage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Stepping on the court again, Fan and Jang put on their duel between the two sides' No. 1 paddlers. With the defending champions' hope of forcing the decisive matchup resting on his shoulders, Fan lived up to his task, prevailing 11-6, 11-7, 12-10 with both teams returning to level terms.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Wang closed out China's nail-biting victory with an 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 win against Lim.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The final hurdle for China's title defense on Sunday will be either France or Chinese Taipei, who will cross swords later on Saturday. <\/p>\r\n\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2024\/02\/china-beat-host-s-korea-to-reach-mens-final-at-world-team-table-tennis-championships.jpg", "alt_img": "China beat host S Korea to reach men's final at World Team Table Tennis Championships", "alt_title": "(070320) QATAR-DOHA-TABLE TENNIS-QATAR OPEN-MEN'S SINGLES", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "China Beat Host S Korea To Reach Men's Final At World Team Table Tennis Championships On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "China Beat Host S Korea To Reach Men's Final At World Team Table Tennis Championships, ITTF World Team Table Tennis: China withstood huge pressure from hosts South Korea to triumph in a full-set thriller here.", "seo_keywords": "Fan Zhendong, South Korea, ITTF World Team Table Tennis, Championships Finals, Wang Chuqin, Busan Exhibition, Convention Center, Jang Woo, Lim Jong, Lee Sang, Ma Long, Chinese Taipei", "tag": "", "tagging": "Fan Zhendong, South Korea, Championships Finals, Wang Chuqin, Busan Exhibition, Convention Center, Jang Woo, Lim Jong, Lee Sang, Ma Long, Chinese Taipei", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "china-beat-host-s-korea-to-reach-mens-final-at-world-team-table-tennis-championships", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "809", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "0", "created": "2024-02-24 14:34:03", "updated": "2024-02-24 14:34:03", "img_from": "Image Source: IANS", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "Fan Zhendong, South Korea, ITTF World Team Table Tennis, Championships Finals, Wang Chuqin, Busan Exhibition, Convention Center, Jang Woo, Lim Jong, Lee Sang, Ma Long, Chinese Taipei", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "1", "google_feed": "1", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "23", "jio_date": "2024-02-24 14:34:03", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "0", "breaking_news": "0", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "sports_name": "others", "cnmid": "870778", "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/sports-news\/china-beat-host-s-korea-to-reach-mens-final-at-world-team-table-tennis-championships-13493" }