Top seed Ding sails to 2nd round at worlds

PARIS - Top seed and defending champion Ding Ning of China breezed past Dederko Zhenhua of Australia 4-0 to reach the second round at the World Table Tennis Championships here on Wednesday.

Ding, also the silver medalist at last year's London Olympic Games, beat the 220th-ranked Dederko 11-6, 11-2, 11-5, 11-3.

Third seed Li Xiaoxia, who beat her teammate Ding to win the gold medal in the London Olympics, also advanced with a victory over Ruta Paskauskiene 11-7, 11-4, 8-11, 11-3, 11-4.

Feng Tianwei, the fourth seed from Singapore, defeated Iulia Necula of  4-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-4, 11-6.

China's quarlifier Hu Limei, ranked a distant 1267th, continued her brilliant form by demolishing Hungary's Georgina Pota. She was joined by other four Chinese teammates Liu Shiwen, Chen Meng, Wu Yang and Zhu Yuling.

Liu, the second seed, beat Englishwoman Kelly Sibley 11-3, 11-2, 11-1, 11-8.

China's Ding Ning plays against Zhenhua Dederko of Australia in their women's singles opening round at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Paris May 15, 2013. The 52nd edition of the World Table Tennis Championships gathers 829 athletes from 162 countries and runs from May 13 to May 20. [Photo/Agencies]