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

Racket Up All the Time

July 18, 2025
Robot will play RANDOM top spin balls to 2/3 of the table (Backhand), Forehand topspin from Forehand/ middle… Read More

Keep the Swing as Compact as Possible

July 16, 2025
Robot will play RANDOM top spin balls to 2/3 of the table (Backhand, only Forehand topspin from this… Read More

Reviewing Bugller with Logan Rietz

July 15, 2025
(by: Logan Rietz) I love pips.  I like chopping with them, hitting with them, anything I can do… Read More

Keep Your Elbow Closer to Your Body

July 14, 2025
WAIT FUNCTION: Serve long serve to elbow and Robot plays topspin to Forehand, Forehand spin block or counter… Read More

#3 High toss serve that disrupts the opponent’s rhythm and leads to a quick attack

July 14, 2025
[Feature] [Special feature] America’s star! Jha’s strong points #3 High toss serve that disrupts the opponent’s rhythm and… Read More

Ten Tips for Faster Footwork

July 14, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) Tie your shoes tight so there’s less give when you move. Grippy shoes on non-grippy… Read More

Rogelio Castro – Third Ball Attack

July 14, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Rogelio Castro is executing the “Third Ball Attack” using his… Read More

MLTT Featured Team: Chicago Wind

July 14, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo MLTT) The Chicago Wind plan to blow over competition in the upcoming Major League… 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.