Home paddlers continue to dominate WTT China Smash in Beijing

Chinese world No. 1 Wang Chuqin continued his dominance at the World Table Tennis (WTT) China Smash in Beijing as he cruised past No. 13 seed An Jae-hyun of South Korea in straight games in the men's singles event on Thursday.

An trailed 9-6 in the first game but then scored three straight points to level it at 9-9. However, Wang put an end to his rally with two points in a row and took the game 11-9. He refused to show any mercy as the contest went on, taking the next two games 11-4 and 11-7 to book his place in the quarterfinals.

Sora Matsushima of Japan will battle Wang Chuqin for a berth in the last four.

In the women's event, second-seeded home favorite Wang Manyu dropped Japanese No. 13 seed Hina Hayata 11-6, 11-4, 11-5. The 26-year-old Chinese left few chances for the opponent to exploit during the competition and reached the last eight.

"I wasn't really watching the score; I was focused on myself," Wang said. "I felt I played to my level. From yesterday's preparation to today's tactical execution, everything came together. Apart from the first game, I utterly controlled the match." She will meet another Japanese, No. 6 seed Miwa Harimoto next.

In the mixed‑doubles semifinals, Huang Youzheng and Chen Yi took on compatriots Yuan Licen and Wang Yidi. Huang and Chen started briskly, taking the first game 11‑6. The second game turned into a mini‑drama: trailing 9‑4, Huang and Chen fought back to 10‑9, only for Yuan and Wang to call a timeout before snatching the game 11‑9 to level the match.

The pendulum swung back in the third when Huang and Chen took a timeout while leading 10-9 and then closed it out 11‑9. They kept the momentum to win the fourth game 11‑7 for a 3‑1 victory to reach the final against top seeds Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha.