China's paddler Xu rallies to beat Ovtcharov for World Cup final berth

Top seed Xu Xin of China fought back from 2-3 down to defeat Olympic bronze medalist Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany 4-3 in the semifinals of the men's table tennis World Cup here on Sunday.

Xu, ranked second in the world, took the first two games 11-5, 11-8 but slumped in the followng three, falling 2-3 to the world sixth-ranked Ovtcharov, who won 11-8, 11-8, 11-4.

Xu recovered in the sixth and managed to level the scoring with 11-9. He then found his former self by controlling the decider 11-2.

"I think we put up a thrilling match for the fans today," said the 23-year-old Xu, who has yet to win a singles champion from the three major events -- Olympic Games, World Championships and World Cup.

"This is one of the most exciting matches in my career. Fortunately, I took my chance at the crucial moment," Xu said.

Xu, who lost to fellow Chinese Ma Long in last year's semifinals, will vie for the title against three-time former World Cup champion Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus, who upset two-time winner Timo Boll of Germany 4-0 in the other semifinal.