Chinese Taipei stun top-seeded Sweden in quarterfinal thriller

Chinese Taipei blew open the men’s draw at OVO Arena Wembley by knocking out top-seeded Sweden 3-2, a result built on Lin Yun-Ju’s nerve in the opening match and finished by the teenager Kuo Guan-Hong. Sweden had arrived in the knockout stage as Group 1 winners with a perfect record, but the quarterfinal turned into the kind of tight, high-pressure swing that reshapes a championship.

Lin set the tone by edging Truls Moregard in a six-game fight, 11-7, 14-12, 12-10, 5-11, 7-11, 11-8. World Table Tennis reported that Lin was denied five game points across the opening three games before holding off Moregard’s late push, and that early escape mattered because it forced Sweden to spend the rest of the tie chasing. Chinese Taipei then moved closer when 17-year-old Kuo Guan-Hong survived a five-game battle with Anton Kallberg, giving the team a 2-1 lead and placing one match between them and the semifinals.

Sweden refused to fold. Elias Ranefur pulled the tie back, and Moregard, still carrying shoulder issues, beat Kuo to level the score at 2-2. That set up a final that belonged to Lin, who returned to the table and beat Kallberg in straight games to seal the upset and send Chinese Taipei through. The victory had a wider edge too, because Chinese Taipei had already shown its level earlier in the event by beating Germany 3-1 in group play, with Lin defeating Dang Qiu and Kuo turning that tie around against Patrick Franziska.

Sweden’s exit changed the shape of the men’s bracket immediately. With the top seed gone, Japan emerged as the side with the clearest title path and later justified that opening with a 3-1 win over Germany in the quarterfinals, followed by a 3-0 semifinal sweep of Chinese Taipei. Tomokazu Harimoto led that response, avenging a loss to Lin Yun-Ju from the ITTF Men’s World Cup Macao earlier in 2026, and Japan reached the men’s world team final for the first time in 10 years.

The women’s bracket also stayed firmly in China’s grip. Reigning champions China swept Korea Republic 3-0, with Wang Manyu overpowering Shin Yubin, Sun Yingsha surviving a five-game scare from Kim Nayeong before closing 11-9 in the decider, and Kuai Man holding off Joo Cheonhui. In a championship that marked the centenary return of the world championships to England, with 64 men’s teams and 64 women’s teams in the field, Chinese Taipei’s upset over Sweden was the result that changed the men’s race.