Off the wire
• Russian, Spanish, Israeli, French most prolific online shoppers: Alibaba  • Private share placements maintain momentum in Q1  • Researchers design collaborating AI capable of playing PC game  • 1st LD Writethru: Pakistan sentences death penalty to Indian spy agent  • Ukrainian activists renew blockade of Russian banks  • U.S. stocks rebound after jobs report  • Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, April 10  • Pakistan condemns terrorist attacks in Egypt  • China demands tighter regulations for insurance  • Roundup: Slain cop of London attack laid to rest  
You are here: 　 Home

Chinese paddlers make Asian champs team semis with straight-game victories

Xinhua, April 10, 2017 Adjust font size:

Grand Slam paddler Zhang Jike scared but overcame injury to see off DPR Korea's Kang Wi Hun here on Monday, making sure that both China's men's and women's team advanced into the Asian Championships semifinals without losing a game.

The 29-year-old, who had been forced to pull out of the table tennis powerhouses' national trials due to ankle injury earlier last month, wasted two set points in his second set against Kang and was down 1-2 before rallying back to win in full sets.

Zhang was not the only one from the formidable Chinese team having suffered a bit in their first show in the 2017 Asian championships, as pen-hold player Xu Xin lost one set to Choe Il after captain Ma Long opened the match with a perfect 3-0 win over Park Sin Hyok.

The victory helped the Chinese men's team set up a semifinal clash with Chinese Taipei, while the other semifinal will pick Japan and South Korea, both having earned their last four spots with heroic comeback.

Earlier in the evening, the Chinese women's team made short work of qualifiers Chinese Taipei in three straight games with a strong squad of the 2016 Rio Olympic champion Ding Ning, four-time World Cup winner Liu Shiwen and 22-year-old sensation Zhu Yuling.

Ding, who suffered a slow start in her first competitive game in a month, had to come back from one set down to overcome Liu Yu-Hsin 12-14, 11-4, 11-3, 11-6.

"There's a lot of pressure since it's my first game and it's my time to face this paddler," said Ding after her teammates Liu and Zhu beat their opponents Liu Hsing-Yin and Chen Szu-Yu respectively 3-0, 3-1 to wrap up the match.

The defending champions will face Hong Kong, China in Tuesday morning's semifinals as the latter ousted Thailand with a 3-0 victory on Sunday.

In the other women's team quarterfinal played on Monday evening, Japan won a youngsters' battle over Singapore, trashing the rookie-packed side with three 3-0 games from Mima Ito, Miu Hirano and Hina Hayata.

Japan's semifinal encounter will be the South Korean team led by veteran chopper Kim Kyung Ah, who came out of retirement earlier this year and earned a regular position in the former world and Olympic bronze winning side through national trials last February. Endit