Chen Yi, Chen Yuanyu advance into round of 16 at WTT Champions Macao

MACAO, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The WTT Champions Macao kicked off on Tuesday at the East Asian Games Dome, and China's early starters lived up to expectations.

Chen Yi defeated Chinese Taipei's Yeh Yi-Tian 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-8) in the women's competition to advance to the round of 16, while Chen Yuanyu also booked his place in the next round, overcoming Egypt's Omar Assar 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-9).

"I am fully prepared," Chen Yuanyu said. "When I hit a rough patch or felt uncomfortable on court, I had ways to deal with it."

"My mindset was calm today and I had made thorough preparations for my opponent's technical and tactical elements," said the 22-year-old Chen Yi. "The match proceeded much as I had imagined."

With Chinese stars Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu withdrawing, Japan's Miwa Harimoto, currently third in the world rankings, is the highest-ranked female participant remaining in the tournament. She beat Singapore's Zeng Jian 3-0 (11-8, 12-10, 11-3) in the first round, while her brother Tomokazu Harimoto also won to advance to the next round.

Other players advancing to the round of 16 included Brazil's Hugo Calderano, Denmark's Anders Lind, and Japan's Satsuki Odo.

The round of 32 continues on Wednesday. China's Kuai Man will face Germany's Han Ying, Wang Yidi meets Egypt's Dina Meshref, and Huang Youzheng takes on the United States' Kanak Jha. Chen Xingtong and Zhou Qihao are scheduled to play on Thursday.