TABLE TENNIS / Taiwan into World Team Table Tennis semifinals after upsetting Sweden

Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Taiwan's men's table tennis team received two key singles victories from Lin Yun-ju (林昀儒) to edge Sweden 3-2 and advance to the semifinals of the 2026 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London on Thursday.

The 24-year-old Lin, Taiwan's top-ranked player at world No. 7 and nicknamed the "Silent Assassin," opened the tie by defeating world No. 2 Truls Möregård before clinching the deciding fifth match with a straight-games win over Anton Källberg.

The victory at OVO Arena Wembley guaranteed Taiwan at least a bronze medal and secured the team's second consecutive podium finish at the biennial tournament.

Taiwan claimed bronze at the tournament in 2024, when Lin teamed up with veteran Chuang Chih-yuan (莊智淵) and young phenom Kao Cheng-jui (高承睿), among others.

The Taiwanese squad, led by Lin and built around the roster set to compete at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, features Feng Yi-hsin (馮翊新), Kuo Guan-hong (郭冠宏), Hong Jing-kai (洪敬愷) and Hsu Hsien-chia (徐絃家).

Speaking after the match, Lin said the result exceeded the team's expectation because it had initially targeted only a quarterfinal appearance.

"I think our mentality was very good today, especially in key moments when we were still able to play steadily," Lin told CNA.

He also praised the team atmosphere, saying everyone on the team encouraged each other regardless of whether they played. "I'm very happy that everyone won together."

After undergoing a generational transition, the men's team has now matched the best result in its history and will next face Japan, led by world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto, for a place in the final.

Taiwan lost to Japan 3-0 in the preliminary group round and will be a huge underdog, but Lin was hoping for the best.

"Now that we have secured a medal, we'll see if we can go one step further," he said.