Sun Yingsha competes at the WTT Champions Xinxiang in Henan Province, China, April 12, 2023. /CFP
Seven Chinese paddlers came through the second round on Wednesday at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Xinxiang in central China's Henan Province and several "China derbies" are set for quarterfinals.
Women's top-ranked Sun Yingsha rallied from one game down to see off Yang Xiaoxin of Monaco 7-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-7, setting up a highly-anticipated quarterfinal clash with Japan's Mima Ito.
Mima Ito competes at the WTT Champions Xinxiang in Henan Province, China, April 12, 2023. /CFP
"Sun is likely to win," commented the 22-year-old Japanese, "it will be a long-anticipated game, and I am very excited about it."
During the ten clashes between the two top players in the world, Sun has the upper hand with a 8-2 winning record.
Meanwhile, Wang Yidi got past Cheng I-Ching of Chinese Taipei 3-0. Chen Xingtong eliminated Germany's Shan Xiaona in straight games.
Wang will next meet Shin Yu-bin of South Korea, while Chen will contend for a semifinal berth with teammate Wang Manyu.
Fan Zhendong competes at the WTT Champions Xinxiang in Henan Province, China, April 12, 2023. /CFP
Men's world No. 1, Fan Zhendong rallied past Lee Sang-su of South Korea 9-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-5, while second seed Wang Chuqin defeated Darko Jorgic of Slovenia 12-10, 12-10, 11-5.
"Darko played great today. I felt his progress when I played against him at the World Team Table Tennis Championships last year. He has all-around style of play and is strong in rallies now. It was a difficult game for me," admitted Wang.
Wang's compatriot Liang Jingkun bounced from one game down to account for Mattias Falck of Sweden 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6. Wang and Liang will vie for a semifinal spot.
"After losing the first game, I made some adjustments and played more aggressively since the second game," commented Liang, adding that he will do his best when facing his higher-ranked teammate.
Alexis Lebrun of France celebrates after defeating Truls Moregard of Sweden in the men's singles round of 16 match at the WTT Champions Xinxiang in Henan Province, China, April 12, 2023. /CFP
17-year-old Lin Shidong outclassed world No. 8 Qiu Dang of Germany 14-12, 11-7, 11-7.
"I made full preparation for this game. I just tried to challenge him and executed my tactics quite well on the court," explained Lin, who will square off against Fan in the quarterfinal.
After stunning sixth-ranked Truls Moregard of Sweden 3-1, French youngster Alexis Lebrun will take on South Korean Lim Jong-hoon. The other men's quarterfinal will be played between Germany's Ruwen Filus and Lin Yun-Ju of Chinese Taipei.
The tournament's quarterfinals will take place on Thursday, with the semifinals and final scheduled on Friday and Saturday respectively.
(With input from Xinhua)