Sabine Winter leads Germany's women's table tennis team into the World Championship semifinals

Sabine Winter has led Germany's women's table tennis team into the semifinals at the Team World Championship in London – and in the decisive moment, she turned around a duel that was already slipping away. In the quarterfinal against Hong Kong, the 33-year-old came back from a 0:2 set deficit against Doo Hoi Kem to win 3:2. This puts Germany among the last four; with the semifinal entry, at least the bronze medal is secured. The tournament is being played in Wembley Arena.

Winter turns the quarterfinal against Hong Kong

The path to the semifinals took on a clear drama in the quarterfinal. Against Hong Kong's top player Doo Hoi Kem, Winter initially fell behind, already trailing 0:2 in sets – and had to free herself from a position where just a few points would decide the course of the tournament. That she managed to do so underscores her value to this German team: Winter stabilized, turned the match around, and with the 3:2 secured a spot in the penultimate round.

She accordingly assessed the success emotionally: “You don't win a World Championship medal every day,” Winter said after the match. “It's a huge deal to be in the semifinals.”

London also has a personal note for Winter. Her father is of British origin; she herself spoke before the competition of family vacations in England and a special connection to the host country. However, in sporting terms, what counts these days is above all that she is using the stage – and finding the points in the tight phases.

The upswing has sporting reasons

The semifinal entry fits a development that has been emerging for Winter for about a year and a half. At the end of the mentioned year, she changed her playing style and equipment: since then, she has been using a smooth, low-friction anti-topspin rubber on her backhand. In practical effect, this means that many opponents get less “clean” feedback on their own spin – the ball comes back with significantly less spin, the rhythm breaks, rallies become tougher. Winter draws tactical benefit from this: she takes speed out of the duels, shifts the decision into longer rallies, and builds points so that she can strike at the end with her forehand – her greatest weapon.

The fact that this idea is currently working is shown by the results in London: Winter has six wins out of seven matches in the tournament. Even outside the World Championship, she has been providing arguments for months that her form is no coincidence: at the Grand Smash in Singapore and at the World Cup in Macau, she each reached the semifinals, and at the Team European Championship she did not lose a single set. As examples of her quality at the top level, victories against Wang Yidi (World Cup) and against Honoka Hashimoto at the current World Championship are also mentioned.

There is also a rare constellation in international women's table tennis that puts her run into further perspective: Winter is the only European woman ranked in the top ten of the world rankings, currently at number nine. In the top 15, there are eight players from China, five from Japan, one from South Korea – and Winter. Anyone who asserts themselves in this field does so against an Asian density of speed, athleticism, and variability that sets the standard. Winter's path there thus seems like the consequence of smart adaptation and a consistent match plan: less “beautiful” play, more control over the decisive rallies.

Japan awaits, bronze is already secured

In the semifinals, Germany will face Japan on Saturday – the favorite for a place in the final. Winter herself described the starting position soberly and combatively: “Japan is certainly the big favorite against us. But we have absolutely nothing to lose. We will fight for every point and see if we might get a small chance. And if we get it, we'll definitely take it!”

This World Championship run also carries extra weight for Winter due to her own history. She was part of the team for Germany's World Championship medals in 2010 and 2022, but did not play a leading role in those successes. The fact that she was not nominated for the Olympics in 2024 marks another turning point. In London, she is now the central German player – and the semifinal is not only a guaranteed medal, but also a sporting signal: Germany's success is based on a key player who has modernized her game and wins the tightest matches under World Championship pressure.