Beijing defeated Shanghai 3-1 to claim table tennis men's team title in the best-of-five final series at China's 15th National Games on Thursday night.

Huang Youzheng and Ma Long of Beijing seized an opening victory in the doubles over Shanghai's pair Xu Xin and Zhou Kai 11-9, 5-11, 11-4, 11-7.

In a much-anticipated clash between Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin, Shanghai's Fan won over world No. 1 Wang of Beijing 8-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-9 to tie the series.

In the third match, Ma beat Zhou 11-4, 13-11, 14-12, followed by Wang's victory over Xu 11-8, 12-10, 11-8 in the fourth match.

"Gold medal is always valuable for athletes. Each of us successfully played our own role in the tournament with smooth communication and cooperation. It was a team effort," said 37-year-old Ma, who pocketed his fifth gold in his sixth journey at the National Games.

Wang also emphasized "solidarity" after the match, saying, "my teammates are outstanding players in the world, and they supported me a lot."

Fan concluded, "the process of preparing for the National Games really matters. Everyone makes improvement and gets better."

Earlier on Thursday, Guangdong cruised past Heilongjiang 3-0 to take the team bronze.