Chinese men and women paddlers both reached the table tennis team finals at the Hangzhou Asian Games after sweeping past Chinese Taipei and Thailand respectively in the semifinals here on Monday.
World number one Fan Zhendong gave China a morale-boosting start in the men’s team semifinal against Chinese Taipei, getting past veteran player Chuang Chih-Yuan 11-6, 11-7, 11-7. Reigning Olympic champion Wang Chuqin followed with an easy win against Lin Yun-Ju, before Ma Long secured China’s victory by easing past Liao Cheng-Ting.
“I played well today,” Ma Long said afterwards. “When I entered the game, my teammates had already secured a 2-0 overall lead for us, so I did not feel much pressure.”
South Korean paddlers secured the other berth in the men’s final after overcoming Iran 3-0 overall. Though Iran caused a major upset by defeating the Japanese team in the quarterfinals on Sunday, they couldn’t replicate their miracle.
Earlier on the day, Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu and Chen Meng led China to a 3-0 overall victory over Thailand in the women’s team semifinals.
The Chinese women’s team is set to compete against Japan in the final, after Japanese players swiftly dispatched their opponents from Chinese Taipei in the semifinals.
“No matter who the opponent is, I want to play at our own level. The whole team will continue to work hard and work hard together,” said the 15-year-old Miwa Harimoto, who is regarded as Japan’s emerging teenage sensation.—Xinhua
