PARIS, May 17: World number one Timo Boll’s path to the finals of the table tennis world championships, which start here on Monday, is littered with obstacles - and not all of them from China.

The 22-year-old German, from Erbach near Frankfurt, does not step into the Bercy arena cauldron until Wednesday, by which time the 64 qualifier places will have been decided.

If everything goes according to the seedings’ script, Boll is on course for a semi-final clash with Wang Liqin, the reigning world champion.

But before that seductive encounter Boll will have to see off local hero Jean-Philippe Gatien, the veteran Frenchman who is aiming to emulate his success at the 1993 championships in Gothenberg.

In the other half of the men’s singles draw made at Bercy late Friday China’s world number two Ma Lin, who has yet to taste gold at this event, is set for a last four match-up against Europe’s other main hope - Vladimir Samsonov.

The Belarus arrives here at the top of his form, having just won the 2003 European Championships in Italy.

But Samsonov, seeded three, may feel he has been hard done by as waiting for him in the quarterfinals is a certain Wang Hao - who beat him on three seperate occasions last year.

Among the women top seed Zhang Yining is slated to meet Niu Jianfeng in an all Chinese semifinal, with this duo’s compatriot Wang Nan, the titleholder, seeded to play Croatia’s Tamara Boros in the other.

Monday and Tuesday’s action focuses on qualifying to determine the 64 players who go through to the main draw to meet the 64 seeded players.

The women’s semifinals and final are due to be played next Saturday, with the men taking centre stage on Sunday’s final day.—AFP