China edges France to reach men's final at table tennis team worlds

China defeated France 3-1 in a dramatic semifinal on Saturday to book its place in the men's final of the 2026 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals.

The tie swung on a stunning comeback by Liang Jingkun, who recovered from two games down to beat Alexis Lebrun.

World No. 1 Wang Chuqin gave China an early lead, surviving a fierce challenge from Flavien Coton. After narrowly taking the opening game 15-13, Wang dropped the next two before regaining control with composed attacking play to seal a five-game victory.

France quickly responded through Felix Lebrun, whose sharp counterattacking game proved too much for Lin Shidong. The French star closed out the match in straight games, 11-9, 11-9, 12-10, to level the tie.

In the third match, Alexis dominated the opening two games against Liang, only conceding four points in total.

But Liang dramatically turned the match on its head. From the third game, he began attacking with conviction, roaring after winners and stepping around the table with renewed aggression.

Liang edged out Alexis for the third game 15-13, and then held off the opponent's charge in the fourth. After leading 10-3, Liang saw Alexis score seven straight points to tie the score at 10-10, only for the Chinese player to regroup and force a decider.

By the fifth game, momentum had completely shifted. Liang stormed ahead 9-2 and completed the comeback 11-2 before celebrating wildly on court.

Liang revealed that head coach Wang Hao had inspired the turnaround with blunt words during the interval.

"He told me, 'You've already lost the match indeed. When you go back out there, fight like a man,'" Liang said.

With China leading 2-1, Wang returned to the table to face Felix in a clash between the teams' top players. The opening exchanges remained tight, but Wang gradually took command with powerful attacking play and closed out the match in four games to secure China's place in the final.

Wang credited Liang's comeback which lifted the entire team. "What Liang showed tonight moved me," he said. "Seeing him fight back from that position gave me even more belief when I went back onto the court."

In Sunday's final, China will face Japan, who swept Chinese Taipei 3-0.

Click here to read article