India will compete in the second edition of the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup for the Guoliang-Sörling Trophy along with 15 other teams.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) on Friday unveiled the elite 16-team line-up for the tournament scheduled to be held in Chengdu, China from December 1-8. The hosts China are the defending champions.
The other 14 teams to compete are — Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Sweden and the United States of America (USA).
The tournament will have a three-stage format, with Stage 1 consisting of 16 teams divided into four groups of four.
The highest-ranked sides have been placed in different groups, whereas the remaining teams have been drawn two at a time in seeding order after a snake system. Every group will be competing in a complete round-robin format.
As for Stage 2, the top two sides from every Stage 1 group will advance and form a single eight-team group, competing in another round-robin format.
However, there will be a strategic variation, as the sides that have already faced each other in Stage 1 won’t clash in this round, while their previous results will get carried forward.
In Stage 3, the top four teams after Stage 2’s standings will make it to the knockout phase featuring the semi-finals along with the placement matches.
The semi-finals will be decided via ranking, with the first-placed team facing the fourth-placed side, while the second goes against the third. Each team’s journey terminates with either the final or the bronze medal contest.
“This comprehensive format, totalling 52 matches across all stages (24 in Stage 1, 24 in Stage 2, and 4 in Stage 3), guarantees that the eventual champions must demonstrate both consistency through the round-robin phases and excellence in the knockout stage," said ITTF in a release.
For the order of play, it will be — Mixed doubles, Women’s singles (player not playing mixed doubles), Men’s singles (player not playing mixed doubles), Women’s doubles vs Women’s doubles or Men’s doubles vs Men’s doubles and Men’s doubles vs Men’s doubles or Women’s doubles vs Women’s doubles.
All individual fixtures will be played in the best-of-three games format, while the team matches end when a side emerges victorious in eight clashes.
“The Mixed Team World Cup represents a unique celebration of gender equality in table tennis, with each team featuring between three and four players of each gender.
“This format has already proven to be a hit with fans and players alike during last year’s inaugural event, combining men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed doubles matches throughout the competition," the release added.
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