TOKYO (AP) - Defending champion China beat Germany 3-1 to win the men’s title at the table tennis team world championships on Monday.
Ma Long beat Timo Boll 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 in the opening match, but Dimitrij Ovtcharov pulled Germany level with a 13-11, 11-8, 11-6 win over Zhang Jike at Yoyogi Gymnasium.
Xu Xin restored China’s lead by beating Patrick Franziska 11-5, 11-2, 11-9 before Ma sealed the win with a 12-10, 11-5, 11-2 win over Ovtcharov to give China its 19th men’s team title.
In the women’s event, China beat Japan 3-0 to make it a clean sweep for the tournament favorites.
Ding Ning beat Yuka Ishigaki 11-8, 8-11, 11-2, 11-5 in the opener, Li Xiaoxia overpowered Kasumi Ishikawa 11-8, 11-7, 11-7 and Liu Shiwen defeated Sayaka Hirano 11-4, 11-2, 11-5.
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