China seals men's singles champion at table tennis worlds

China has sucured the men's single champion at the World Table Tennis Championships after booking all four semifinal berths in Paris on Sunday.

Defending champion and Olympic gold winner Zhang Jike the last to qualify, fighting back from one set down to beat Germany's Partick Baum, 9-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-2, 11-3.

Top seed Xu Xin and second seed Ma Long both were forced to the seventh game but they managed to control the rhythm.

Xu eliminated Japan's Kenta Matsudaira 11-8, 9-11, 6-11, 14-12, 11-5, 11-8 while Ma Long beat fifth seed Timo Boll of Germany 11-4, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9.

In the day's first match, third seed Ma Long advanced with a win over 14th seed Yan An in an all-Chinese affair 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 12-14, 11-8, 11-2.

Xu will take on Zhang in the semifinals and Ma meet Wang in the other match. The title will be decided on Monday.