China misses Asiad table tennis mixed doubles semis for first time

China's all-conquering table tennis team's hopes of sweeping all seven gold medals were smashed when their mixed doubles pairs both suffered defeats in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday.

Fan Zhendong/Chen Meng lost to Jiang Tianyi/Lee Ho Ching of Hong Kong, China, 3-0 (11-9 11-9 11-8), while Kim Hyokbong/Kim Jong of DPR Korea beat the young Chinese pair Zhou Yu/Wu Yang 3-2 (8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5).

China has won nine mixed doubles titles in table tennis over the past 10 editions of the Asian Games.

Other Chinese players managed to advance into the quarterfinals in the rest of disciplines. In women's doubles, both Liu Shiwen/Wu Yang and Zhu Yuling/Chen Meng breezed past their opponents in straight games. Ma Long/Zhang Jike and Xu Xin/Fan Zhendong also made into the men's doubles last eight.

In men's singles, world number one Xu Xin claimed a comfortable 4-0 win against Bajracharya Purshottam of Nepal. Fan Zhendong brushed aside Chang Hoi Wa 4-0.