China

Wang Liqin leads Chinese domination at table tennis worlds

(AP)
Updated: 2007-05-24 09:42

Defending singles and mixed-doubles champion Wang Liqin won in all four of his matches Wednesday, continuing Chinese domination at the World Table Tennis Championships.

The topspin specialist won his opening singles match in straight sets before advancing into the third round with a 11-9, 11-3, 11-1, 11-9 victory over Phillippe Saive of Belgium.

Wang Liqin of China serves to Chiang Hung Chieh of Taipei during their 2nd round men's singles match at the world table tennis championships in Zagreb May 23, 2007.[Reuters]

Wang Chen of the United States provided the main upset of the day, knocking out sixth-seeded Tie Yana of Hong Kong, 14-12, 11-8, 6-11, 11-5, 11-6 _ the only seeded player to fall in both men's and women's singles.

Showing little sign of fatigue, Wang partnered with Wang Hao after his opening singles victory to defeat Vitaly Nekhvedovich and Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus, 11-8, 11-7, 11-8, 5-11, 11-8. He then teamed with Guo Yue in the mixed doubles to dispose of Kim Jung Hoon and Cho Ha La of South Korea, 11-5, 11-4, 11-4, 11-9.

Top-seeded Ma Lin, who is looking to clinch another final with his countryman Wang, was also in action more than once. He beat Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany 11-9, 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 in his second round singles match before joining Chen Qi to defeat Marko Jevtovic and Zolt Pete of Serbia, 11-6, 11-3, 5-11, 11-4, 11-3.

In the mixed doubles, Ma Lin and Wang Nan eliminated Jun Mizutani and Haruna Fukuoka of Japan, 2-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-5, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7.

Third-seeded Timo Boll of Germany, the top non-Chinese, won his opening singles match before advancing into the top 16 by beating Robert Svensson of Sweden, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3.

The German then joined Christian Suss to oust Antonin Gavlas and Petr Korbel of the Czech Republic, 11-5, 11-8, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9.

Defending her singles and doubles titles, top-seeded Zhang Yining of China defeated Elena Timina of the Netherlands, 11-5, 11-8, 11-2, 12-10.

She later teamed with world No. 2 Wang Nan to advance past Huang I-Hwa and Lu Yun-Feng of Chinese Taipei, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4, 5-11, 11-6.