(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT)
TeamUSA had solid showings in their losses to Romania and France. Both teams were seeded higher, and the scores were 8-5 (with TeamUSA reaching fifth match). TeamUSA also topped Australia 8-0, so after the first day, the Americans are 1-2 with Japan left to play.
Puerto Rico had a big win in their opening match – an 8-7 win over Hong Kong that came down to the final game in the Women v. Women Doubles – a game that Adriana and Melanie Diaz won 11-8. Adriana also logged three wins in her singles match, so she personally accounted for 5 of the 8 team points.
The Mixed Team World Cup has a unique scoring system where there are five matches and each pairing plays three games only. The first team to score 8 points wins – whether that threshold is reached in the third match (or the fourth, or the fifth). The first match-up is Mixed Doubles, followed by Women’s Singles, then Men’s Singles. The final two stages are Men’s Doubles and Women’s Doubles – with the lower ranked team choosing the order of those matches.
More action is coming soon.
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