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.
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