CHINA added a men’s team gold medal in Rio on Wednesday to sweep the Olympic table tennis titles for the third straight time.

    The all-time leading Chinese men’s team, which was twice champions at as many previous Olympic Games since the team events took the place of doubles in Beijing 2008, claimed a 3-1 victory in the final over Japan, which made history by reaching its first Olympic final in men’s table tennis.

    It was the 28th gold medal won by China since the sport was introduced at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

    World No. 1, Ma Long, who came out as the fifth Grand Slam man after being crowned at the singles in Rio, scored two points in the final to lift the team up.

    The 28-year-old started strong, overcoming a mid-way blast and some netballs from the 22nd-ranked Koki Niwa, 21, to win in straight sets, 11-6, 11-9, 11-6.

    In the second game, Xu Xin, the sole penholder on this Chinese squad, stumbled against Japan’s top male paddler Jun Mizutani, conceding the first set 12-10 and the second 11-9 though having scored five in a row after trailing 5-1.

    The 26-year-old world No. 3 reopened the game in style, leading 6-0 into the third set before allowing just three points in the 11-point format.

    Tying it 2-2 with a 11-7 fourth set, Xu led 10-8 in the fifth and deciding set, but Mizutani, ranked sixth in the world, served to tie it at 10-10 before taking the set 12-10 to force at least four games.

    The following doubles were also intense as Xu, pairing up with China’s other active Grand Slam winner, Zhang Jike, easily surrendered the first set 11-4 before launching a hard-working comeback 11-6, 11-9, 11-5.

    Ma then came up to the court again to play Japan’s 21st-ranked Maharu Yoshimura and proved his flying form, rounding up the match with a 11-1, 11-4, 11-4 win.

    Though losing the final, Japan won their first silver medal in the men’s event to better Mizutani’s fresh record of taking a bronze in the men’s singles six days ago.

    (Xinhua)