The German women’s table tennis team lost the World Cup semi-final against Japan. Despite strong resistance, Ying Han, Nina Mittelham and Xiaona Shan lost 3-0 to the silver medalists of the Olympic Games.
The team of national coach Tamara Boros had already secured the bronze medal in Chengdu, China, since third place at a world championship is not played separately. It is the biggest World Cup success for German women since 2010.
The EM second Mittelham forced the world number five Hina Hayata to start the fifth set. But the 25-year-old lost it 8:11. Han then had no chance at 0: 3 against the mixed Olympic champion Mima Ito. The third point for the favorites was won by 18-year-old Miyuu Kihara against Shan, who was 21 years her senior, in the fifth set (3:2).