Olympics | Chinese paddlers Sun, Chen and Fan reach table tennis singles quarters

PARIS, July 31 (Xinhua) -- China's top paddlers Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng and Fan Zhendong each triumphed over their respective opponents on Wednesday, advancing to the quarterfinals of women's and men's singles table tennis events at the Paris Olympic Games.

Sun, top-seeded in the women's singles, breezed past 26-year-old Sreeja Akula of India in straight sets 12-10, 12-10, 11-8, 11-3 at the South Paris Arena 4.

"I achieved my 'small goal' today by reaching the quarterfinals," said 23-year-old Sun, who won the women's team gold and singles silver at Tokyo 2020.

"I had never played against Akula before. She has become much stronger over the past year, so at the beginning of the match, I struggled to find my rhythm," said Sun. "Although I was trailing in both the first and second sets, I managed to come back and win them in the end. I believe this was a crucial aspect of the match."

Sun will next play 32-year-old Cheng I-Ching of Chinese Taipei on Thursday in the quarterfinals.

Earlier on Wednesday, China's Chen Meng, the women's singles second seed, rallied to beat 30-year-old Britt Eerland of the Netherlands 4-1 (8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 and 11-8) to reach the quarterfinals.

"At the start, I was a little too tight. It didn't feel like my rhythm or momentum was there. I adjusted later, especially in the second set, and told myself to start afresh," said the 30-year-old Chinese as the defending champion.

In the final set, Eerland fought back fiercely but Chen managed to seal the victory. "It's inevitable that your opponent will fight aggressively when you're ahead. That's normal," said Chen.

Chen will next play 29-year-old Sofia Polcanova of Austria on Thursday for a last four spot.

China's Fan Zhendong claimed a straight-set victory over 24-year-old Kanak Jha from the United States 11-4, 11-7, 12-10, 11-7 to make the quarters, where the second seed will face Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto.

In an early matchup, China's Wang Chuqin, top-seeded in the men's singles, failed to reach the round of 16 following a surprising 2-4 defeat to Truls Moregard of Sweden.