May 24, 2007	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 07, 1428

ZAGREB (Croatia), May 23: Defending singles and mixed doubles champion Wang Liqin won in both of his opening matches on Tuesday, beginning what many predict will be another Chinese sweep a the World Table Tennis Championships.

Wang started by joining countryman Wang Hao in doubles to eliminate Nigerians Monday Merotohun and Segun Toriola, 11-4, 11-7, 11-5, 11-3. Later, he returned with Guo Yue in mixed doubles to overcome Vitaly Nekhvedovich and Veronika Pavlovich of Belarus 11-6, 11-2, 11-4, 11-8.

Wang opens defence of his singles title against Chiang Hung-Chieh of Taiwan.

Similarly, Zhang Yining also won twice in defence of both of her women’s singles and doubles titles. She easily defeated Ng Sock Khim of Malaysia 11-6, 11-3, 11-2, 11-5 in singles, then paired with Wang Nan, to beat Tawny Banh Thua and Crystal Huang of the US, 11-6, 11-6, 11, 6, 11-4.

Top-ranked Ma Lin, keen for another showdown with countryman Wang Liqin, was one of the few seeded players to appear in men’s singles play. He defeated Wang Zeng Yi of Poland, 11-2, 11-6, 6-11, 11-3, 11-9.

Timo Boll of Germany, the highest-ranked non-Chinese in the men’s draw, played only doubles action Tuesday, joining compatriot Christian Suss to beat Safa Avci and Irfan Tavukcuoglu of Turkey, 11-5, 11-9, 11-6, 11-5.

Also in doubles, gold medal favorites Ma Lin and Chen Qi of China defeated Daniel Gorak and Such Bartosz of Poland, 11-1, 11-5, 11-9, 11-4.

Results (x denotes seeding):

Men (first round): Ljubomir Pistej (SVK) bt Werner Schlager (AUT) 11-5, 11-5, 4-11, 11-6, 11-3; Ching Li (HKG) bt Sas Lasan (SLO) 11-4, 11-8, 11-9, 11-7; Jorgen Persson (SWE) bt Hugo Hoyama (BRA) 8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6, 12-10; Xiao Li Cai (SIN) bt Aleksandar Karakasevic (SRB) 11-9, 11-5, 11-9, 6-11, 5-11, 11-7; Stefano Tomasi (ITA) bt Yen-Shu Chang (TPE) 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8, 12-10; Lin Ma (CHN x1) bt Zeng Yi Wang (POL) 11-2, 11-6, 6-11, 11-3, 11-9; Dimitrij Ovtcharov (GER) bt Daniel Gorak (POL) 9-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5; Zhi Wen He (ESP) bt Daniel Zwickl (HUN) 8-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-5; Segun Toriola (NGR) bt Alexei Smirnov (RUS) 9-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-6, 13-11, 11-4; Chu Yan Leung (HKG) bt Chih-Chi Wu (TPE) 11-3, 7-11, 9-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6; Patrick Chila (FRA) bt Juan Papic (CHI) 11-4, 11-4, 12-10, 11-7; Robert Gardos (AUT) bt Cazuo Matsumoto (BRA) 9-11, 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6, 11-7;

Ning Gao (SIN) bt Jung Hoon Kim (KOR) 11-6, 11-6, 11-4, 11-6; Weixing Chen (AUT) bt Tomas Konecny (CZE) 11-6, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6; Vladimir Samsonov (BLR x6) bt Christian Larsen (DEN) 11-9, 9-11, 11-1, 11-8, 11-6; Long Ma (CHN x8) bt Kirill Skachkov (RUS) 11-2, 11-6, 11-4, 11-3; Bojan Tokic (SLO) bt Marc Duran (ESP) 12-10, 11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4; Christian Suss (GER) bt Tiago Apolonia (POR) 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 4-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-3; Yuk Cheung (HKG) bt William Henzel (AUS) 12-10, 11-2, 11-8, 11-6; Jean-Michel Saive (BEL) bt Enio Mendes (POR) 7-11, 11-6, 11-3, 9-11, 12-10, 11-4; Marcos Freitsa (POR) bt Jens Lundqvist (SWE) 11-5, 5-11, 11-7, 6-11, 6-11, 11-5, 11-9; Se Hyuk Joo (KOR) bt Hyok Bong Kim (PRK) 11-8, 6-11, 13-11, 13-15, 11-7, 11-9; Andrei Filimon (ROU) bt Koji Matsushita (JPN) 12-10, 11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 11-6.

Women (first round): Yining Zhang (CHN x1) bt Sock Khim Ng (MAS) 11-6, 11-3, 11-2, 11-5; Yi Fang Xian (FRA) bt Mie Skov (DEN) 11-4, 11-8, 11-5, 11-8; Wenling Tan Monfardini (ITA) bt Ana-Maria Erdelji (SRB) 11-6, 11-9, 11-7, 11-4; Sui Fei Lau (HKG) bt Linda Creemers (NED) 11-5, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4; Jun Gao (US) bt Karen Li (NZL) 11-5, 11-2, 11-3, 9-11, 11-5; Kyung Ah Kim (KOR) bt Lee Wei Beh (MAS) 11-7, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5; Irina Kotikhina (RUS) bt Mouma Das (IND) 11-8, 11-4, 11-4, 11-7; Jong Kim (PRK) bt Ganna Gaponova (UKR) 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4; Yun-Feng Lu (TPE) bt Carla Nouwen (NED) 7-11, 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, 11-3, 11-3; Yue Gu Wang (SIN x8) bt Carina Jonsson (SWE) 11-6, 11-4, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4; Yana Tie (HKG) bt Xi Huang Yao (US) 11-5, 11-5, 11-2, 11-7; Mi Young Park (KOR) bt Kelly Sibley (ENG) 11-7, 11-2, 11-5, 14-12; Anna Tikhomirova (RUS) bt Elena Timina (NED) 7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 4-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8; Sandra Paovic (CRO) bt Christina Fili (GRE) 11-6, 5-11, 11-2, 6-11, 11-4, 11-7; Yulia Prokhorova (RUS) bt Un Gyong Ko (PRK) 12-10, 16-14, 11-6, 9-11, 14-12; Veronika Pavlovich (BLR) bt Marina Kravchenko (ISR) 7-11, 12-10, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7, 10-12, 11-8; Bei Bei Sun (SIN) bt Gabriela Feher (SRB) 11-5, 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 13-11; Hyun Jung Moon (KOR) bt Anastasya Koltsova (UKR) 12-10, 12-10, 11-3, 11-3; Chen Wang (US) bt Veronika Heine (AUT) 11-8, 11-7, 4-11, 14-12, 11-9; Hiroko Fuji (JPN) bt Katerina Penkavova (CZE) 11-9, 11-8, 11-2, 5-11, 11-5; Daniela Dodean (ROU) bt Anastasia Voronova (RUS) 11-6, 10-12, 7-11, 11-7, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9; Iveta Vacenovska (CZE) bt Kim Hye Song (KOR) 12-14, 11-9, 11-3, 11-5, 3-11, 11-8. —Agencies