A Chinese trio and Olympic champion Ryu Seung Min dashed Europe's hopes of grabbing a men's singles medal at the world table tennis championships on Saturday by winning their quarter-final matches.
Defending champion Ma Lin beat Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus 11-9 11-7 12-10 9-11 11-6 after rallying in each of the opening three sets while South Korean Ryu defeated Germany's Timo Boll in straight sets. Samsonov led 9-7 in the opening set and then blew another chance in the third to turn the match when he squandered a 9-5 advantage, allowing Ma to take a commanding lead and finish him off after dropping the fourth.
Ryu also showed remarkable resilience and medal-winning credentials when he fought back from 5-1 down in the opening set and 6-0 in the second to defeate Boll, the world number three and Europe's top-ranked player. World number two Wang Liqin completed China's success with an 11-7 11-5 11-8 11-8 win over compatriot Hao Shuai. The semi-finals and the final will be played on Sunday.