World table tennis championships

Asian Table Tennis Championship: China overcame world No. 1 Wang Chuqin's shocking defeat in the opening set to dispatch Iran 3-1, reaching the men's team semifinals of the Asian Table Tennis Championships here on Tuesday. As the first Chinese paddler out of the gate, Wang conceded a gruelling 11-8, 3-11, 9-11, 13-11, 11-9 loss to 14-year-old Benyamin Faraji, who sits 209 places lower than him in the world rankings.

Riding the wave of his favourable form in recent tournaments, 19-year-old Lin Shidong helped China restore parity, also through five exhilarating games, ultimately triumphing 13-11, 11-13, 18-16, 5-11, 11-6 over Noshad Alamiyan, reports Xinhua.

After Liang Jingkun swept past Mohammad Mousavi Taher in straight games, Wang secured redemption with a 3-1 victory over Alamiyan to secure the defending champions' spot in the semifinals.