HANGZHOU, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Both China's men's and women's teams moved into the round of 16 after winning two group matches in a row to kick off their Hangzhou Asian Games campaigns here on Friday.

China's men unexpectedly faced resistance from Vietnam but managed to secure a 3-0 victory in the end.

World No. 2 Wang Chuqin earned China a deserved lead after beating Vietnam's Dinh Anh Hoang 11-7, 12-10, 11-2. Veteran Ma Long put China further ahead as he got past Nguyen Anh Tu 11-8, 11-5, 11-3.

Despite Liang Jingkun winning the opening set over Vietnam's Doan Ba Tuan Anh with an astonishing 11-0 scoreline, he lost the following two sets 11-9 and 11-8. However, the world No. 6 singles paddler bounced back 11-3, 11-8 in the following two sets to win his contest.

"It was beyond my expectations," admitted Doan, adding that he felt lucky to play against Liang.

"Liang was able to keep his cool and two games was all I could get. I still feel like I succeeded in something," he said.

In the later session, China eased past Saudi Arabia without losing a game.

China's women's team breezed past Macao (China) and Kazakhstan with 3-0 scorelines in both games in Group A, featuring all five paddlers.

Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong (China) all saw their men's and women's teams advance into the round of 16 with two victories.

Elsewhere, the DPR Korea women's team defeated Chinese Taipei 3-2 in an intense match that lasted three hours.

Both China's men's and women's team will compete in the round of 16 on Sunday. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)