Wang shines as China beats France 3-1

In the early hours of May 10, Beijing time, China’s men’s team defeated France 3-1 in the semifinals of the 2026 London World Table Tennis Championships, advancing to the final. First singles player Wang Chuqin delivered two crucial victories, beating Flavien Coton and Félix Lebrun, while Liang Jingkun staged a comeback from 0-2 down to overcome Alexis Lebrun. With this win, China has now reached the men’s team final for the 16th consecutive World Championships. Next, China will face Japan for the title.

Match 1: Wang Chuqin vs. Flavien Coton
Despite a big gap in world rankings (Wang at No. 1 with 11,725 points, Coton at No. 23 with 1,600 points), the match was fiercely contested. Wang took the first game 15-13. Coton fought back to win the next two 13-11, 11-9. Wang then displayed his No. 1 caliber, taking the last two games 11-4 and 11-8 to secure a 3-2 victory and the first point for China.

Match 2: Lin Shidong vs. Félix Lebrun
Ranked 6th against Lebrun’s 4th, Lin lost a tight contest 0-3, with game scores of 9-11, 9-11, 10-12.

Match 3: Liang Jingkun vs. Alexis Lebrun
World No. 21 Liang fell into an 0-2 hole. Refusing to give up, he battled back to win the next two games 15-13 and 12-10, each time saving game points. He then dominated the decider 11-2 to complete a comeback 3-2 win, putting China ahead 2-1.

Match 4: Wang Chuqin vs. Félix Lebrun (again)
In another hard-fought encounter, Wang played more freely to win 3-1 (13-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-4), sealing China’s 3-1 victory.

China will now face Japan, who beat Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the other semifinal. The final is scheduled for 23:00 Beijing time on May 10.