Liang wins a major Xu scalp

The morning session in <> could not have been more frantic to start with, as two Chinese athletes collided in a supreme show of competitive nature in the sport. Liang Jingkun came out on top with a powerful 4-2 win over world #1 Xu Xin (11-6, 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 8-11, 11-6).

For the first 25 minutes, it was all about Liang’s pace and poise around the table as Xu looked to be a shadow of himself. That third straight loss of a game woke him up and saw Xu win two games back to back. But it was to be in vain, as Liang channeled his early strength to serve out the final game and claim a well deserved spot in the semi-finals.

“I had a really good start; Xu Xin was not in a good shape today. Xu Xin recovered in the fourth and fifth games; I made many mistakes, mainly because Xu Xin was more positive and made changes to the play. Last year I lost to Fan Zhendong in the quarter-finals; since then I’ve been really pleased with my performances except for the recent Asian Championships when I lost to Jeoung Youngsik.” Liang Jingkun

Let the games begin!