China's Fan and Lin into quarter-finals at ITTF Men's World Cup
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E-mail Xinhua, October 21, 2018
Chinese paddlers Fan Zhendong and Lin Gaoyuan unsurprisingly secured their berths in quarter-finals at the 2018 ITTF Men's World Cup here on Saturday.
World No. 1 Fan comfortably accounted for Gustavo Tsuboi of Brazil 11-7, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8.
"I played at my level today. In the first match here, I was not quite used to the venue, so I needed to come into contention as quickly as I could," Fan explained.
"The opponent did not offer many comfortable shots for me. I had a good control of the match," he added.
Lin withstood early challenges to beat Kanak Jha of the United States 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-3.
"At the start I did not adjust to the venue quite well. It felt pretty different from the training venue, and I made many mistakes.
"Then I tried to reduce errors and control the match," said Lin.
Fan will take on Vladimir Samsonov in the quarter-finals later on Saturday. The three-time winner from Belarus registered an 11-6, 12-10, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7 victory over Wong Chun Ting of Hong Kong, China.
Lin set up a quarter-final clash with Niwa Koki of Japan, who marched past Jonathan Groth of Denmark 11-8, 11-5, 4-11, 12-10, 11-5.
"Niwa and I have played many times. I need to make full preparation for potential difficulties ahead. I need to do well at the start as it is pivotal," Lin added.
Japan's Harimoto Tomokazu, the youngest competitor of the tournament, powered past Jeong Sang-eun of South Korea 11-6, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7.
The 15-year-old talent will strive for a semi-final berth against German veteran Timo Boll, who eliminated local favorite Emmanuel Lebesson 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-7.
Boll's compatriot Dimitrij Ovtcharov, the reigning champion, overcame stern test from Sweden's Mattias Falck to triumph in full games at 11-5, 4-11, 7-11, 13-11, 11-3, 5-11, 12-10.
Thousands of crowds in the Disney Events Arena suffered another blow as Frenchman Simon Gauzy lost to South Korean Lee Sang-su 11-6, 4-11, 6-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8. Ovtcharov awaits Lee in the last eight.
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