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The German men’s table tennis team have missed out on the medal they were aiming for at the World Team Championships in London. The quintet led by national coach Jörg Roßkopf were defeated 1–3 in the quarter-finals by Japan, the Olympic bronze medallists, led by world number three Tomokazu Harimoto. Reaching the semi-finals would have been enough to secure at least a bronze medal.

The German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) men’s team has thus failed to win a medal at three consecutive world-level tournaments for the first time since 1991. Two years ago in Busan, Germany had already been knocked out in the World Championships quarter-finals, as was the case at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris – and now in London.

“Of course, there’s disappointment because we were determined to win a medal on the big stage. But you also have to acknowledge that Japan played at a truly world-class level today,” said Benedikt Duda (Bergneustadt).

At the OVO Arena Wembley, European Championship runner-up Duda stood no chance against Harimoto, losing 0–3 (4–11, 4-11, 6-11). Subsequently, former European champion Dang Qiu, despite a decent start, was defeated 1-3 (11-5, 2-11, 10-12, 5-11) in his match against Sora Matsushima.

Former Europe Top 16 winner Patrick Franziska (Saarbrücken) secured a quick 3–1 (11–6, 11–9, 8:11, 11:7) against Ochsenhausen champion and cup winner Shunsuke Togami. In the fourth match, Qiu put up a strong fight against Harimoto but squandered several set points and lost decisively 0:3 (10:12, 13:15, 9:11). Japan had been “just that bit mentally stronger”, said Franziska.

The German women’s team, led by newcomer Sabine Winter, are up next in the quarter-finals against Hong Kong this evening (6 pm/Dyn). As there is no bronze medal match, the losing semi-finalists will receive a medal. A victory would therefore mean the fourth team medal at World Championships in post-war history.

Source: SID
Featured image above: Patrick Franziska (Photo: BeLaSportfoto)