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China tide swamps table tennis
3/5/2005 8:33

Shanghai Daily news

Chinese players had another easy run on the second day of the 48th World Table Tennis Championships in Shanghai yesterday.
China edged closer to the mixed doubles title as all seven Chinese pairs stormed into the last 16.
Top-seeded Wang Hao/Wang Nan showed their championship credentials as they romped past strong rivals Peter Fazekas/Krisztina Toth of Hungary 4-2.
All other Chinese mixed doubles except Yan Sen/Guo Yan overwhelmed their opponents.
In a hard-fought match against Pak Won-chol/Kim Hyang-mi from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Yan and Guo went down two sets and seemed to give up before the roaring fans boosted their morale.
The Chinese pair missed one match point in the sixth set and the North Koreans pulled the game into the seventh set.
The decider at the Shanghai Grand Stage had local fans cheering every Chinese point.
Yan/Guo finally lived up to the crowd's expectation, beating the North Koreans 11-6 in the decider.
"We expected a rugged match," Guo said after the game. "But it proved to be harder than expected. Yan Sen's experience worked in the end of the match."
In other games, Chinese paddlers continued to display their dominance.
The world's top three women singles players - Zhang Yining, Wang Nan and Niu Jianfeng - all thrashed opponents and qualified to the final 32.
Guo Yue, Guo Yan, Cao Zhen and Fan Ying added luster with another four 4-0 victories.
Wang Liqin, Ma Lin and Wang Hao, the top three seeds in men's singles, walked over their rivals and qualified into the third round.
They were joined by four other Chinese, Chen Qi, Liu Guozheng, Hao Shuai and Kong Linghui.
Six Chinese pairs in men's doubles and women's doubles all qualified into the final 16.
With the championship entering the third round today, organizers reported good ticket sales. They said that tickets for the semifinals and the finals on Thursday and Friday were sold out.
Domestic fans, who follow the sport closely and are familiar with players' style - both home and overseas - have turned up in huge number at the Shanghai Grand Stage, cheering every great play.