Site Products
USA Men: Home Stretch in Group Stage

USA Men: Home Stretch in Group Stage

(By Steve Hopkins)
USA Men: Home Stretch in Group Stage

Team USA began the tournament with an upset of Spain in the group stages of the Liebherr 2018 World Table Tennis Team Championships.  They have since defeated Puerto Rico and lost to Iran.  This 2-1 record is shared by Spain, Iran, and Kazakhstan in the group, so effectively there is a four way tie for first and only three teams will advance to the compete in the knock-out stage for the championship of the 2nd Division. 
Team USA has two matches remaining: Kazakhstan and Luxembourg (the teams seeded directly above and directly below the USA in the group).  Team USA controls its own fate, in that winning both of the remaining matches will mean the US finishes no worse than second.  If the US loses one of their remaining two matches, then their odds of advancing are good but not definite.  And if the US loses both of the remaining matches they are not immediately eliminated, but would need some help from other teams (Spain would need to lose twice as well).
Thus far, Team USA is doing exactly what they need to do.  They entered the event seeded fourth in the group and need to ensure that they finish in the top three.  The win over Spain has put them in a very strong position.  Tomorrow will be an exciting day – not just for Team USA but also for the rest of the group.
It is very difficult to predict results for the final matches as these competitors have not played each other previously.  Though it is worth noting that Luxembourg and Puerto Rico were pretty evenly matched (Luxembourg won 3-2) and Team USA defeated Puerto Rico somewhat easily (3-1).  On the other hand, Kazakhstan has an almost identical record as Team USA – they defeated Iran 3-2 and lost to Spain 2-3 (while Team USA defeated Spain 3-2 and lost to Iran 2-3).  The match between Team USA and Kazakhstan could be the most important of the tournament for both teams as the winner will certainly be in the top 3 while the loser likely will not.
 
Visit ButterflyOnline.com for updates throughout the event.

Latest News

WAB CLUB FEATURE: EC Sports Table Tennis

August 31, 2025
(By Steve Hopkins) EC Sports Table Tennis was founded by 1996 Olympian Amy Feng to spread the joy of… Read More

Pan American Youth Championships Recap

August 31, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The ITTF Pan American Youth Championships 2025 finished on Sunday in Rosario, Argentina. … Read More

Team Canada U19 Girls Secure Gold at Pan Am Youth Championship

August 31, 2025
(by Bowmar Sports, photo ITTF America) Canada’s U19 Girls’ Table Tennis Team made headlines at the 2025 ITTF… Read More

TTBL: Kanak Starts Strong, Zhendong Faulters in First Week of German League

August 31, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) USA’s Kanak Jha was one of four players to start the German League season 2-0. … Read More

Be Part of the MLTT Rally Crew

August 29, 2025
(by: Major League Table Tennis) Bring your energy and love for the game Major League Table Tennis kicks… Read More

When Do Most Errors Happen?

August 29, 2025
Robot plays short backspin to Backhand, Jhon Backhand push to long Backhand, robot plays very spinny topspin to… Read More

Back Up a Little Bit More

August 27, 2025
Robot plays short backspin ball to Forehand, Jhon Forehand push to long Forehand, robot plays very spinny topspin… Read More

My Road To The 2025 US National Champion by Sally Moyland

August 26, 2025
(by Sally Moyland) I was leading 3:1 in sets in the women’s single final at the US National… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.