Ovtcharov optimistic Germans can dethrone champion China

World No 1 Dimitrij Ovtcharov is confident that titleholder China can be upset at the upcoming World Table Tennis Championships in Halmstadt, Sweden.

"Maybe we have a much better chance to beat the Chinese team this year than we had in the last five or six years," the 29-year-old German said in a recent interview with Kicker magazine.

"To beat the exceptional quality of the Chinese, usually three top players are needed. But when Timo Boll and I can give 120 percent in such a tournament, we might be able to achieve a surprising success," Ovtcharov said of the competition, which runs April 20 to May 6.