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Germany lose table tennis final

May 5, 2014

This year's world champion titles in table tennis have gone to both China men's and women's teams. Germany's men made it to the final round, but were unable to make strong gains on the defending champions.

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Timo Boll of Germany serves against Koki Niwa of Japan during day seven of the 2014 World Team Table Tennis Championships at Yoyogi National Gymnasium on May 4, 2014 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)
Image: Getty Images

Both the men's and women's teams from China swept the World Team Table Tennis Championships on Monday.

Germany's men lost out in the final to the favorites China at the event being held in Tokyo, with the record champions proving formidable opponents. China won 3-1 against Germany.

For Germany, it represented a fifth defeat in a World Cup final, the country's squad having also lost in 1969, 2004, 2010 and 2012.

"The Chinese boys are (very) good," said German star Timo Boll (pictured). "Whenever we were not precise enough, they exploited every chance."

Representing China, Ma Long beat Boll 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 in the opening match. However, Germany made a slight comeback in the next round with Dimitrij Ovtcharov scoring 13-11, 11-8, 11-6 over China's Zhang Jike. The final round ended with a solid victory for China's Xu Xin, who beat German Patrick Franziska 11-5, 11-2, 11-9.

Japan and China squared off in the women's tournament, without much of a home turf advantage for Japan, the visitors emerging 3-0 winners.

China's Ding Ning took the first round against Japan's Yuka Ishigaki 11-8, 11-2, 11-5. Japan lost again in the second round, Chinese player Li Xiaoxia beating Kasumi Ishikawa 11-8, 11-7, 11-7. The team from Beijing clinched the title with an easy victory in the final round, seeing Liu Shiwen outdo Sayaka Hirano 11-4, 11-2, 11-5.

kms/rc (AP, dpa)