Chengdu (dpa) – Germany’s national men’s table tennis team suffered a surprising loss to India at the World Team Championship in China and is now under pressure ahead of Monday’s supposedly toughest group game against the France.

European champions Germany lost 1:3 against the Indians. Top two players Dang Qiu and Benedikt Duda each lost 2:3 to world number 37 after a 2:0 lead. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran. “So boring,” Duda called the loss. “It was a day of opportunity.” European singles champion Dang Qiu got the only point against Harmeet Desai.

Unhappy Coach Roßkopf

“We definitely missed too many chances,” said national coach Jörg Roßkopf. “We just haven’t performed as well as we should in a game like this. We have to get through it and shake ourselves up because there’s a lot at stake tomorrow against France. I know it won’t be easier. But I know the players can still improve.”

At this World Cup in Chengdu, only the top two teams from each group in the preliminary round will definitely qualify for the round of 16. Four thirds of the women’s group still reach the knockout stage, but only two for the men. The French have easily won their previous matches against underdogs Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The German team must participate in this tournament without the three best players Timo Boll, Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Patrick Franziska.

DTTB women on the track

The Germans, meanwhile, are in the running for the round of 16 in Chengdu. Ying Han, Nina Mittelham and Shan Xiaona beat Egypt 3-0 without dropping a set and now face the Czech Republic for the group win on Monday.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:221002-99-977202/3