Taiwan feast on French fries

Taiwan feast on French fries
ASSOCIATED PRESS

KUALA LUMPUR, FEBRUARY 21: Taiwan upset France 3-0 in the men's preliminary round of the World Team Table Tennis Championship in Kuala Lumpur.

Chang Yen-Shu started Taiwan's victory March on Sunday by beating Jean-Philippe Gatien, ranked 13th in the world, 21-19, 21-23, 22-20.

Chiang Peng-Lung, No 10 in world, justified his status by posting a 21-11, 18-21, 21-11 victory over 19th-ranked Patrick Chila.

Chuang Chih-Yuan completed the sweep by overcoming No 16 Damien Eloi 17-21, 25-23, 25-23.

China, reigning champion in both men and women's events, started its campaign with rousing triumphs on the opening day.

The Chinese men made short work of Spain 3-0 in Group A without dropping a single game.

World No 4 Wang Liqin started by drubbing Victor Sanchez 21-7, 21-9. Reigning world singles champion Liu Guoliang, presently ranked third, defeated Carlos Machado 21-14, 21-10 and World No 6 Ma Lin scored an easy-paced win over Torui Danil 21-11, 21-19.

The Chinese women started the search for theirfourth straight crown with identical 3-0 wins over Holland and Taiwan in Group A league matches.

Chinese top-ranked player and reigning women's singles champion Wang Nan dropped a game in the morning session but recovered to beat Dutch opponent Melissa Muller 19-21, 21-15, 21-13.

The left-handed Wang's cautious start raised doubts about the effect of her recent arm injury. But she ended all speculation by stepping up the tempo in the second game and displaying the prowess of her all-round game.

Wang's teammates Li Ju and Zhang Yining faced no competition from the lowly Dutch opponents.

World No 2 Li trounced Diana Bakker 21-12, 21-13 while the eighth-ranked Zhang beat Floor Tebbe 21-19, 21-13.

China's coach Lu Yuan-Sheng did not read much into the slow start by some of his star players.

``The players felt that air-conditioning (of the hall) was too cold,'' he said. ``They faced difficulty in controlling the ball and moving briskly.''

``We'll get used to the conditions as the tournament getsalong.''

North Korean women, losing finalists in 1997, got into the act with an easy 3-0 win over Belgium in Group B.