Sweden’s men’s national table tennis team delivered a historic performance when they broke China’s long-standing dominance in the Team World Championships. One of the key figures behind the success was debutant Elias Ranefur, who caused a major upset by defeating one of the world’s top players.

The 29-year-old Swede, who entered the championship ranked around 70th in the world, was up against Chinese star Lin Shidong.

Despite facing tough opposition, Ranefur took early control of the match and went up 2–0 in sets. The Chinese player fought back hard and leveled the score at 2–2, which put pressure on Ranefur heading into the deciding set. There, Ranefur showed nerves of steel and clinched a remarkable victory with a narrow 11–9 win.

But Ranefur’s triumph was not the only key to Sweden’s team win. Truls Möregårdh and Anton Källberg also contributed with a victory each. In the decisive clash, Källberg stepped up once again and defeated Lin Shidong in four sets, sealing the final result at 3–2 in Sweden’s favor.

The victory marks the first time in 26 years that Sweden has defeated China in the Team World Championships, further underscoring the magnitude of the achievement. The team thus topped their group and heads into the knockout stage with a favorable seeding.