China advances at table tennis team championships

TOKYO: Defending champion China overpowered Taiwan 3-0 on Sunday to advance to the final of the table tennis team world championships.

Xu Xin set China on the way with an 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 win over Chen Chien-an in the opening match at Yoyogi National Gymnasium.

Ma Long beat Chuang Chih-yuan 11-9, 13-11, 11-8, before Zhang Jike overcame Huang Sheng-Sheng 11-6, 10-12, 11-3, 11-6 to seal the win for the tournament favorites.

Timo Boll won two matches as Germany beat Japan 3-1 in the other semifinal.Boll recovered to beat Koki Niwa 16-18, 11-5, 11-4, 14-12 in the opening game and capped Germany´s win with an 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 victory over Jun Mizutani.

Patrick Franziska defeated Kenta Matsudaira 12-10, 7-11, 6-11, 11-5, 11-5 for Germany´s other win.

In the women´s event, China beat Singapore 3-0 to advance to the finals against host Japan which beat Hong Kong 3-1. (AP)