The Japanese team of Mima Ito, Miu Hirano and Kasumi Ishikawa on Saturday was defeated 3-1 by defending champion China, which claimed its fourth consecutive women's title at the World Team Table Tennis Championships.
Teenager Ito provided drama in the opening contest at Halmstad Arena with a 3-2 victory over veteran Liu Shiwen, but China's top-ranked players rallied to win the next three matches — all with a scoreline of 3-0.
Hirano lost two matches, the second and the fourth against Ding Ning and Liu, respectively, while Japan captain and world No. 3 Ishikawa was brushed aside by second-ranked Zhu Yuling in the third match.