China 0-3 in World Table Tennis Team Semifinals: Our first medal in 26 years!

• The final of the competition will be China – Japan. China has won the last 6 editions of the World Cup and 12 of the 13 this century. Only in 2010 did it not prevail, when Singapore defeated it in the final.

Romania closed its development at the World Team Championship in London with a tough match, tougher than impossible, against the nation that has dominated table tennis for decades with undisputed authority, China.

He did it by bravely advancing through, in order, Elizabeta Samara, Bernadette Szocs and Andreea Dragoman. Every point taken by the world Nos. 1, 2 and 7 weighed heavy, like a lead ball, only surpassed by the more loaded and loaded balls of their opponents.

However, she ended it with a bronze medal, something that Romanian female table tennis had not achieved since 2000, when Otilia Bădescu, Ana Gogoriță, Antonela Manac and Mihaela Șteff were on the third step of the podium. It is the reward of a representative team that includes experience and youth, a lot of talent, desire and value.

For her they crossed a group 1 in phase 1A in London, then the tableau with victories against Egypt, the Netherlands and France. And an honorable presence against China in the semi-finals. Whatever it is, the medal remains!

FINAL » Romania – China 0-3

• Match 1 » Elizabeta Samara – Yingsha Sun 0-3 (3-11, 4-11, 5-11)
• Match 2 » Bernadette Szocs – Manyu Wang 0-3 (4-11, 9-11, 10-12)
• Match 3 » Andreea Dragoman – Man Kuai 0-3 (10-12, 6-11, 10-12)

The Romanian team was made up of Bernadette Szocs (26th in the world), Elizabeta Samara (#44), Andreea Dragoman (#57), Elena Zaharia (#106) and Adina Diaconu (#145).

Chronicle of match 3: Andreea Dragoman – Man Kuai 0-3 (10-12, 6-11, 10-12)

Andreea Dragoman found herself face to face with Man Kuai for the second time in total, after they also met in London, in phase 1A, group 1. Then, the Chinese, the world number 7, won 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-2).

Interestingly, Man is the one who lost China's only match so far at the World Cup, in the 3-1 victory against Poland. Andreea got the better of their previous duel though, with some excellent lap kicks and quick exchanges.

At the end of a few heated minutes, he had 9-8 on the board, then set point, 10-9, also thanks to a superb backhand attack! Beyond the net, Man, temporarily destabilized, reacted promptly and really snatched the act 12-10.

The 2nd set again brought balance and a point for 6-5 in favor of the Asian ended with a smile from Andrea. She held out heroically in a defensive position away from the table, sending one high ball after another until Man found the finish.

The Chinese then sprinted to 11-6, taking her team to a set of another final. And what an act 3 followed! The incredible Andreea kept Romania in this semifinal bravely equalizing at 10-10, pulling out extraordinary executions from her arsenal, as she did when she scored the winning point against Egypt.

At 11-10, Man had the fourth victory ball, which he capitalized on, putting an end to a beautiful dream of the Romanian team.

Chronicle of match 2: Bernadette Szocs – Manyu Wang 0-3 (4-11, 9-11, 10-12)

Next at the table for the second game of the semi-final was Bernadette Szocs, who scored the winning point in the quarter-final against France. In front of her is Manyu Wang, the world number 2, with the two having a long history of head-to-head matches, which began in 2018.

The closest was in 2024, at the WTT Finals in Fukuoka, 3-4, but here the stakes were different. Wang started off, breaking away quickly. What a beautiful, spectacular point, a quick duel, Berni managed to get closer to 4-7, but her counter stopped there, while the Chinese delivered four more times, 11-4.

There is a fairly visible difference in height in favor of the Asian, seven-time world champion, which mattered during the duel. Szocs started the second act positively, 1-0, then managed to equalize at 3 and with a touch of luck.

Immediately Wang held the ball in the middle hard and precisely for 5-3, but the second set proposed a much more heated plot than the first. And that's thanks to Berni, who turned the tables on her, 8-5, brave points, variation and hope. But also frustration when it was tied at 8, a poisoned balance.

In the end, 11-9 to Wang in the tightest overall act of the semi-final. The third act started with a yellow card for Szocs, as he later returned to the table after the timeout. Frustration flared again after an even 2-2 start, but Berni regrouped, letting the nerves settle.

How to catch the corner of the table so precisely for 5-4 for example! A bow-tight set at 9-9, what comes to mind? A perfect attack, the first set ball for the “tricolor”. It's a shame that the next points went to Wang, 12-10 and 2-0 overall.

Chronicle of match 1: Elizabeta Samara – Yingsha Sun 0-3 (3-11, 4-11, 5-11)

The first game of the semi-final brought Elizabeta Samara face to face with the world leader, Yingsha Sun, 25 years old and already with 9 world titles in her record. It was their third meeting, with the Asian having prevailed in the precedents with a lost set, 4-0 at the World Championship in 2023 and 3-1 this year, in February, in the round of 16 at the Singapore Smash.

Samara returned to the table, after not playing in the quarter-final against France, starting the game with a spectacular lapel point. But then, execution after execution, Sun has taken the game by storm, finding solutions from all corners and angles. Disputed as if quickly before, the first act closed in 10 minutes with 11-3 for the Chinese woman.

The second set started encouragingly for the “tricolor”, 2-1, but soon the balance tilted in favor of the opponent. Looking to capitalize on her aggressive game, Eliza brought more awareness to the board and was able to catch Yingsha on a few occasions.

His frustration was occasionally read throughout the act though, one sealed with an extra point for Samara, 11-4 Sun and 17 minutes in total.

A bit of effect here, then attacks in one corner and another for 2-1 in the third set, then 3-2 in favor of Eliza, who in Singapore snatched an act from Sun 11-9.

It's hard against a complete player like Sun, without visible weaknesses, but the Romanian didn't give up, trying continuously. In the end, Sun prevailed 11-5, 3-0 in sets and a rare smile against Eliza's widest, a sign of respect for the value of the world leader.

China and Romania also faced each other in the group stage, right in the first stage, in which the Asian women prevailed without the right to appeal, 3-0. by the way China has lost only one match in this edition of the World Championshipin the victory against Poland in the round of 16, 3-1.

The two teams have met before at the World Championship in 2016, 2015 and 2014. Each time, China won 3-0.