Chengdu (China), Dec 2 (IANS) China crushed Chile 8-0 to finish as the group leader with an unbeaten record at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Mixed Team World Cup in Chengdu, China, on Tuesday. Japan, South Korea, and Germany are other undefeated teams after three group matches.

Facing debutant Chile, the defending champion showed their class from the outset. World No. 1 mixed doubles duo Lin Shidong and Kuai Man overcame an early test before sweeping Chile’s Nicolas Burgos and Paulina Vega 13-11, 11-3, 11-3.

“We had a good start, but they returned several excellent shots afterwards. Through our adjustment of serves and change of rhythm, we won the first game, which was quite crucial,” commented Lin.

Home favourite Wang Manyu made light work of winning the women’s singles duel against Daniela Ortega, 11-4, 11-4, 11-8. “It was my first match in this year’s tournament and also my first encounter with her. I just played at my level today,” said Wang.

Liang Jingkun wasted no time in the men’s singles, triumphing 11-6, 11-2 in his first two games against Gustavo Gomez to secure China’s victory. “With a 6-0 lead in hand, I didn’t feel much pressure, just fighting for every point and trying to fit into the game as soon as I could,” Liang remarked.

Also on Tuesday, Japan sailed past Croatia 8-2, South Korea swept the United States 8-0, and Germany eased past Brazil 8-2.

Led by Lebrun brothers, Alexis and Felix, France secured a spot in the quarterfinals with an 8-6 victory over Romania, sitting second behind Germany in Group 4. Croatia, Sweden, and Hong Kong, China also advanced as the runners-up.

The round-robin second stage competition starts on Wednesday, with the top four finishers to advance to the knockout stage. The results of the teams having played with each other in the first stage will be carried forward to this phase.

The ITTF Mixed Team World Cup adopts a best-of-15 format, with each match beginning with mixed doubles, followed by women’s singles and men’s singles. The men’s and women’s doubles, if required, will see their order of play determined by the team captain of the lower-ranked team.

China aims to win its third straight title on home soil in the tournament, which runs through Sunday.

–IANS

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