Chinese women's team advances to final at table tennis worlds

Defending champion Chinese women's team took a comfortable win over Chinese Taipei at three-nil, advancing to the final at the 2016 World Team Table Tennis Championships here on Saturday.

Ding Ning overcame Chen Szu-Yu of Chinese Taipei easily 11-6, 11-7 and 11-4, earning the first point for China.

"I have made full preparation for the match. Although I did not adjust myself very well at the beginning, I played normally for the rest of the match," Ding said.

Li Xiaoxia followed up by defeating Cheng I-Ching 11-9, 15-13 and 11-2, and Zhu Yuling sealed the game by ousting Cheng Hsien-Tzu 11-7, 11-6 and 11-2.

"I have been a bit nervous since coming here. Worse still, the match has been postponed for some time due to the dripping of the stadium. So I have tried to adjust myself for a better state," Li said.

Kong Linghui, head coach of the Chinese women's team, was satisfied with the result, saying the match was the best they have ever played during the championships. "We have a prominent edge over our opponents," he added.

In light of the final against Japan, Kong said they had put Japan as imaginary enemies in training before the championships, as they were the strongest among all the other opponents. "Our players have high winning percentage over the Japanese. We will discuss the lineup for tomorrow's final," he added.

China's men's team also stepped into the final by brushing aside South Korea earlier Saturday, and will also face Japan in the final, who overcame England at 3-1.

The 2016 World Team Table Tennis Championships, which began on Feb 28, will run till March 6. Endit