OLYMPICS/Taiwan women's table tennis team reaches quarterfinals at Paris Games

Paris, Aug. 6 (CNA) Taiwan's women's table tennis team reached the quarterfinals at the Olympic Games in Paris after overpowering Australia in their opening match of the team division on Tuesday.

Taiwanese players Chien Tung-chuan (簡彤娟), Chen Szu-yu (陳思羽), and Cheng Yi-ching (鄭怡靜) faced Australia's Michelle Bromley, Melissa Tapper, and Jee Minhyung in their first match in the women's table tennis team category and won in straight matches.

The 22-year-old Chien, who is making her first Olympic debut in Paris, and 31-year-old four-time Olympian Chen clinched the first match in the team event against the 36-year-old Bromley and 34-year-old Tapper 11-4, 11-3, 11-7 in 18 minutes.

Cheng, 32, a Tokyo Games bronze medalist in the mixed doubles, took on South Korean-born Jee in the second match and retired the 37-year-old Olympic debutante 11-5, 11-7, 11-4 in 19 minutes.

Chen then played the third match against Tapper and won 6-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6 in 37 minutes to conclude the team's opening event.

On Wednesday, Taiwan will play in the quarterfinals against the top-seeded Chinese team, which eliminated Egypt in the round of 16 stage on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Taiwan men's team was halfway through their quarterfinal competition against Japan following the women's team's victory.

As of 10:30 p.m., Taiwan had lost the first match 11-7, 11-5, 11-9 in the men's team quarterfinals to Japan, but won the second match 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 3-11, 11-6.

The Taiwanese players compete in all five table tennis disciplines but have yet to win a medal. The men's and women's singles and mixed doubles competitions have concluded.