Sport

Romania shocks world, reaches table tennis semifinals

Romania's table tennis team has made history at the World Table Tennis Championships in Chengdu, China, by qualifying for the semifinals.

This is the first time Romania has reached this stage of the competition.

In a thrilling match against Germany, Romania secured a decisive 8-5 victory, propelling them into the final four. The matches were intense and dramatic, with every point crucial.

In the mixed doubles, Bernadette Szocs and Ovidiu Ionescu narrowly lost to Fanbo Meng and Franziska Schreiner. However, Adina Diaconu bounced back strongly, defeating Yuan Wan in the women's singles.

Eduard Ionescu faced a tough challenge in the men's singles, falling to Kay Stumper. The women's doubles pair of Bernadette Szocs and Andreea Dragoman secured a vital victory over Yuan Wan and Franziska Schreiner. With the overall score at 7-5, Romania needed one more set to clinch the match. Darius Movileanu and Eduard Ionescu delivered, defeating Kay Stumper and Fanbo Meng.

Despite a 0-8 loss to China in their final group match, Romania's earlier performances were enough to secure their place in the semifinals. In the semifinals, they will face a formidable challenge against China, the world's top-ranked team. The other semifinal will be contested between Hong Kong and South Korea.

Translation by Iurie Tataru

Radu Galbur

Radu Galbur

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