Ding Ning opens singles run with easy win

Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-23 19:50:03|Editor: xuxin
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BUDAPEST, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion Ding Ning opened her singles run with a convincing 4-0 win at the World Table Tennis Championships, allowing only 16 points to Egypt's Yousra Helmy on Tuesday.

The top seed and three-time Olympic gold medalist said she was expecting tougher games and would be getting into top form as soon as possible.

Ding is aiming for her third consecutive title and also her fourth gold medal at the World Championships. For almost 60 years, only three players of Deng Yaping, Wang Nan and Ding, all from China, have won the women's singles titles three times at the World Championships.

Ding's second-seeded teammate Chen Meng also had a flying start, beating Singapore's Wong Xin Ru in four straight sets.

Fifth-seeded Japanese Kasumi Ishikawa didn't break a sweat in her 4-0 victory over Kazakhstan's Anastassiya Lavrova, while her compatriot Miyu Kato also beat Ukraine's Solomiya Brateyko in straight sets.

Luxembourg's Ni Xia Lian, a 55-year-old former Chinese player, lost a marathon 4-3 game to Serbia's Sabina Surjan.

"At my age, I just came here to enjoy the game," said Ni.

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