(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-25 23:37

GUANGZHOU - Sixteen-time champions, the Chinese women, have been handed a little surprise on Monday as formidable veteran Wang Nan suffered her first defeat against a non-Chinese paddler in a year in day two competitions of the world team championship.

China's Wang Hao returns a shot to Romania's Constantin Cioti during the men's preliminaries of the World Team Table Tennis Championships in China's southern city of Guangzhou February 25, 2008. [Agencies]

Wang was beaten 3-1 by much lower-ranked Kim Jong of DPR Korea, dubbed as the "Mysterious Troop" to world table tennis with few showups, before the Chinese team pulled themselves back to the winning track with points won by Zhang Yining and Li Xiaoxia.

The similar scene happened again late in the evening when the Chinese men's squad screamed an unexpected loss from triple world championship holder Wang Liqin, upset by untitled Romanian Andrei Filimon 8-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-7.

But Wang Liqin saved his pride with a second hit later against the rival side's top paddler Adrian Crisan, winning in straight sets 12-10, 11-2, 11-4 to wrap up the victory for China after Chen Qi and Wang Hao both copped up with their fame.

Things are not as easy to bear for the women's world No. 4 Wang Nan, however. The Sydney Olympic gold medalist, one of the sport's most decorated players with 20 world titles, was trailing from the right beginning against her southpaw opponent and lost the match 11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 13-11 to the 91st-ranked Kim.

"My adaptability was poor today and I failed to bring myself into full play. I give myself a zero score," said the 29-year-old Wang, a "Grand Slam" winner of Olympics, World Championships and World Cup, who has to give a better performance over younger teammate Li Xiaoxia to ensure a chance of getting an Olympic berth.

She managed a 8-2 advantage in the fourth set to keep her hope of comeback alive, but failed to hold on.

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