None of the absolutely best Chinese players are participating in the WTT Champions tournament in Incheon, South Korea. The world number one Lin Shidong, the second-ranked Wang Chuqin, and the fourth-ranked Liang Jingkun are skipping the event.
This means that Truls Möregårdh – Olympic Games silver medalist in singles and team events last summer – is seeded fourth in the tournament.
So far, the 23-year-old has lived up to that position. The world number seven won against Benedikt Duda, Germany, in the second round with 12–10, 12–10, 11–8 and is through to the quarterfinals.
I played very good table tennis in today's duels. The tactical part is tough against Duda, since he is a versatile player, he says in the victory interview in SVT's broadcast.
In the first set, Möregårdh saved two set points. Four consecutive won points instead gave the Swede the set victory.
The other two sets eventually became even, despite Möregårdh having a greater advantage in both.
In the quarterfinal, German Patrick Franziska, who is seeded fifth in the tournament, awaits.
