Hong Kong China continued the upset run that has defined the 2026 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships in London on Tuesday, eliminating eighth-seeded Chinese Taipei in the women's round of 16 and setting up a quarter-final clash with Germany.
The tie ended 3-2, with Su Tsz Tung clinching it in the deciding match with a 3-0 (13-11, 11-9, 11-4) victory in the closing rubber. The first set, swung on a 13-11 deuce after eight tied points, set the tone for what became a clinical close-out by the 23-year-old Hong Kong number two.
The result mirrored a remarkable opening evening of the knockout stages at the Copper Box Arena. The eight women's quarter-finalists are: China — top seeds, who saw off Sweden 3-0 — Japan, second seeds, with a clean sweep of Luxembourg, Korea Republic with a four-match win over Singapore, and France with a 3-0 win over Italy. Germany joined the bracket with a 3-0 sweep of Korea DPR, while Ukraine edged the United States 3-2 in a tie that ran to almost two hours and 45 minutes — the longest match of the tournament so far. Hong Kong China provided the seeded scalp.
The quarter-final draw pits China against Korea Republic, Germany against Hong Kong China, Ukraine against Japan, and France against Romania. Hong Kong China head coach Steven Wong told reporters afterwards that Su's deciding-match performance was "the highest level she has ever played in a Hong Kong vest."
In the men's bracket, the upset trail also held a marquee result. Chinese Taipei's men's team, seeded eighth, defeated Denmark 3-0 to advance, while China — surprisingly seeded fifth after Sweden's group-stage victory — came back from 1-0 down to beat Romania 3-1. France, second seeds, dispatched Portugal 3-0 in straight matches. Sweden continued their dream tournament with a 3-0 sweep of Croatia, Germany swept Hong Kong China's men 3-0, and Korea Republic took out Austria 3-0. Japan came through 3-1 against Kazakhstan, and Brazil eliminated England men 3-2 in the final round-of-16 clash on Monday night.
The men's quarter-finals are: Germany v Japan, Sweden v Chinese Taipei, Korea Republic v China and Brazil v France. The Sweden v Chinese Taipei tie carries particular interest after Sweden's group-stage win over China; a path to the men's gold without facing the defending champions has now opened up if Korea Republic or Brazil can bring China down in the men's quarters.
Germany's men's coach Jörg Bitzigeio said after the Hong Kong win that the squad's Friday opener against Japan — a likely Timo Boll farewell appearance — was now the most anticipated match of the German season. "Anything except a quarter-final felt like a failure," he said. "Now we are here, and we play loose."
The quarter-finals run on Thursday and Friday, with the men's and women's semi-finals scheduled for Saturday and the gold medal matches for Sunday. China remain the gold medal favourites in both draws, but for the first time at a World Team Championships since 1999, every quarter-final block contains a credible upset path.
