Chinese women breezed past Croatia 3-0 in the third round of the World Team Table Tennis Championships on Monday.
The heavy favorites, whose triumph seemed to have an air of inevitability, were confident enough to leave world number one Zhang Yining on the bench.
Grand Slam veteran Wang Nan, one of the sport's most decorated players with 20 world titles, also rested aside after unexpectedly suffering a defeat to DPR Korea's Kim Jong in the morning.
The first match between second-ranked Li Xiaoxia and Croatia's Andreja Bakula proved to be a lopsided affair, with the 20-year-old Chinese girl winning 11-8, 11-5, 11-6.
Li, winner of the International Table Tennis Federation's Pro Tour singles final last December, is widely considered Wang's only roadblock to this year's Beijing Olympics.
Wang, 29, the oldest member of the Chinese women's team, is seeking the country's last Olympic ticket as 2004 Olympic singles winner Zhang and reigning world champion Guo Yue have qualified automatically.
Following Li's lead, third-ranked Guo wasted little time in overpowering Cornelia Vaida 11-4, 11-2, 11-7.
Croatia's Sandra Paovic caused a little trouble to fifth-ranked Guo Yan in the deciding match. But the Chinese offensive looper showed resilience to come back from one game down, winning 12-14, 11-6, 11-3, 11-9.
"I was a little nervous at first but slowly adapted myself to the competition," Guo Yan told reporters after the match.
"It was the first time I took part in the world team championships in China and I believed home spectators helped me win, " she added. The 25-year-old captured the team title at the previous world championships in Germany's Bremen.
China will play the United States late Tuesday. Two former Chinese, 20th-ranked Gao Jun and 30th-ranked Wang Chen, were strong rivals, Guo said.
Shi Zhihao, head coach of the Chinese women's team, said his team did not have absolute advantages and never took it for granted that every victory belonged to China.
Source: Xinhua
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