by Simon Daish
Two quarter-finals fixtures remain to be played out in the Women’s Singles draw with the host nation featuring in the opening tie of day three.
Wang Manyu will have the backing of the home crowd when she takes to the table at 10.00am (local time) and she may very well need it as she prepares to take on Han Ying, who has been in inspirational form so far in Shenzhen negotiating the qualification rounds prior to victories over seeded opponents Chen Szu-Yu and Chen Xingtong – can the German produce another upset?
The second quarter-final of the Women’s Singles draw sees two of Japan’s finest table tennis players battle it out as Mima Ito looks to secure what would be only her second win over Kasumi Ishikawa on the international stage.
Following the two Women’s Singles quarter-finals encounters the attention shifts to the last eight of the Men’s Singles event.
Korea Republic’s representation in the penultimate round is guaranteed as Lee Sangsu and Lim Jonghoon face off for the first time on the ITTF World Tour before Japan’s Jun Mizutani meets China’s Lin Gaoyuan, who heads into the match having eliminated Mizutani’s compatriot Tomokazu Harimoto in the previous round.
Responsible for one of the upsets of the tournament so far with his fantastic victory over second seed Timo Boll, Liang Jingkun will be hoping to deliver another spectacular showing when he takes on World and Olympic Champion Ma Long while top seed Fan Zhendong does battle with eighth seed Koki Niwa.
Then it’s time for the first title to be contested as Japan meets China in the Mixed Doubles final: named as the No.1 seeded duo for the tournament, can Masataka Morizono and Mima Ito upset the home fans and prevent a gold medal finish for the host nation’s Lin Gaoyuan and Chen Xingtong? The day concludes with semi-finals action from the two singles competitions.
Watch the action unfold live from Shenzhen with itTV.
