Table tennis: Chinese quartet power into last 16

Reigning champion Zhang sets up clash against Gardos at world event.

PARIS:

Reigning champion Zhang Jike of China eased through to the last 16 of the World Table Tennis Championships in Paris after seeing off compatriot Fan Zhendong.

The fourth seed and Olympic title-holder cruised to an 11-9, 11-8, 11-9, 11-5 victory over world number 38 Fan to set up a fourth-round meeting with Robert Gardos of Austria.

Meanwhile, top-ranked Xu Xin made short work of Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia, sweeping aside his opponent 11-8, 11-0, 11-8, 11-7 to earn another shot at Portuguese opposition in the form of Marcos Freitas in the next round.

Second seed Ma Long beat Slovenia’s Bojan Tokic 11-6, 11-5, 12-10, 11-8, while 2009 champion Wang Hao moved comfortably through to round four after coasting past Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan 11-7, 11-5, 11-2, 10-12, 11-3.

Top European player Timo Boll of Germany fended off a gritty display from Sweden’s Jens Lundqvist, 61 places below him in the rankings, to advance 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8.

“My opponent played quite well today. I had a feeling I was in good shape then suddenly it was two games all,” said Boll. “I didn’t feel that I had played badly, but I think in the end I deservedly won. I played at a good level.

“It’s not easy for me to find my rhythm in the first rounds. I’m in good form and I’m fit, so I hope I can go further.”

London 2012 bronze medallist Dimitrij Ovtcharov joined compatriot Boll in the next round after defeating Hong Kong’s Tang Peng.

Japan’s Kenta Matsudaira followed up Thursday’s shock victory over veteran Chinese star Ma Lin by battling past Chiang Hung-Chieh, but there was better news for Chinese Taipei as sixth-ranked Chuang Chih-Yuan stayed in the hunt after knocking out South Korean Cho Eonrae.

Earlier, defending women’s champion Ding Ning cruised into the quarter-finals with a 11-8, 11-4, 11-5, 11-7 whitewash of South Korea’s Park Seonghye.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2013.