OLYMPICS/Paddler Cheng reaches quarterfinals; shuttler Chou in round 16 at Olympics

Taipei, July 31 (CNA) Taiwanese table tennis player Cheng I-ching (鄭怡靜) defeated Poland's Natalia Bajor in the round of 16 in the women's singles at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Wednesday, advancing to the quarterfinals.

In a match that lasted only 30 minutes, the three-time Olympian secured a 4-0 victory. She will face either India's Sreeja Akula or China's Sun Yingsha (孫穎莎) in the next round.

Meanwhile, Taiwan shuttler Chou Tien-chen (周天成) beat his 27-year-old Hong Kong opponent Lee Cheuk-yiu (李卓耀) 21-18, 21-13 in a men's singles preliminary match and advanced to the round of 16 in Paris.

The 34-year-old Chou had a head-to-head with Lee of eight wins and four losses before the Wednesday's match, which lasted just 22 minutes.