MAGDEBURG, Germany, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Due to the absence of Timo Boll, the German men's table tennis team were eliminated during the qualifying round of the Magdeburg World Team Cup on Friday.

    Germany lost to Austria 3-1 and South Korea 3-2, implying that it was doom for the host team who were without Timo Boll, the number four in the world ranking, absent through having contracted a cold.

    Austria and South Korea assured themselves of a place in the semi-final stage of the men's event at the World Team Cup with both defeating Czech Republic from Group B.

    On Saturday, South Korea and Austria will fight to decide their fixtures in the semi-finals.

    Boll "got a fever and vomited", according to German press agency DPA. He missed German's all matches on Friday.

    Simone Hinz, press officer from German Table Tennis Association, told Xinhua that the German team was inspecting Boll's illness " every hour".

    However, Boll is expected to show up at the World Singles Cup in Spain later this month. He is still a strong contender for the gold medal of the men's singles.