Five more Chinese men clinched their opening singles games,
joining teammates Ma Lin and Ma Long in the second round of the
world table tennis championships in Zagreb on Wednesday.
Defending champion and second seed Wang Liqin blasted away
Chinese Taipei's Chiang Hung-Chieh 11-7, 11-7, 11-5, 11-9, while
Athens Olympic runner-up Wang Hao blanked Russian Igor Rubstov
11-3, 11-6, 11-8, 11-7.
Hou Yingchao, seen as a secret weapon by Chinese coaches, played
a solid defensive game to beat Poland's Bartosz Such
11-5,11-8,11-2, 13-11.
Chen Qi and Hao Shuai also made it to the second round with
straight-set victories.
Germany's Timo Boll, a major threat to China's attempt to sweep
the board in the Zagreb championships, advanced with a 11-6,
11-4,11-5, 11-6 win over Brazilian Thiago Monteiro.
The third-seeded German tops China's "blacklist" of possible
threats, which also included 2003 world champion Werner Schlager
and Russian Alexei Smirnov, both eliminated on Tuesday.
Oh Sang Eun of South Korea and Vladimir Samsonov, seeded 5th and
6th respectively, also reached the second round.
Less known South Korean Lee Jung Sam eliminated local hero Zoran
Primorac 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10, 13-11, taking out a big draw of
the championships.
Lee, ranked 137th in the world, subdued No. 28 and former World
Cup winner with better footwork and a stronger forehand.
Primorac, who had celebrated his 38th birthday early this month,
didn't show a bit of his awesome form which made him a man to beat
in the 1990s.
Home spectators shouted and beat drums to cheer Primorac up, but
it seemed that the Croatian star had had enough of table
tennis.
Lee uses a style very similar to Chinese world No. 1 Ma Lin,
playing in penhold grip but attacking with both sides of
racket.
In the women's first round, second seeded Chinese Wang Nan
routed Canadian Zhang Mo 11-6, 11-8, 11-1, 11-6, and fourth seed
Guo Yue beat 2004 Paralympic champion Natalia Partyka of Poland
11-5, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5.
Chinese Guo Yan, World Cup winner and third seed, crushed
Bulgarian Katalina Gatinska 12-10,11-4,11-4,11-7.
Chinese national champion Peng Luyang and rising star Yao Yan
also advanced to the second round without losing set.
Croatia's Tamara Boros, former European top player, used every
ounce of her energy to outlast Slovenian Biljana Todorovic in seven
sets.
Austrian Liu Jia and Dutchwoman Li Jiao, European champion in
2005 and 2007 respectively, both sailed into the second round.
(Xinhua?News Agency?May 24, 2007)