Zhang loses his 1st show in men's World Cup table tennis
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Chinese rising table tennis star Zhang Jike lost his first match in Liebherr men's World Cup held in Magdeburg in Germany on Friday.
Zhang, ranked third in the world, was defeated 4-2 by 16th-ranked Chuang Chih-Yuan from Chinese Taipei.
Zhang started the match winning the first set 11-5. However, from the second set, the situation changed, Chuang rallied past him 11-5, 11-8 and 11-5.
In the fifth set, Zhang once trailed 10-5, but scored continuous five points to level 10-all, winning loud applause from all of the audience.
Zhang and Chuang scored alternately till 13-all, before Zhang grasped the chance to score the last two points.
In the sixth set, Zhang strengthened its backhand attacks and got 3 points ahead in the beginning for 4-1, before Chuang won six points in a row to turn around and beat Zhang 11-7.
Zhang didn't accept any interview after he lost his first match in the World Cup while his rival Chuang told Xinhua that he has played against Zhang twice.
"I think this time I have taken the right strategy through viewing the former tapes. Zhang is not in his best form maybe because he was here for the first time," Chuang said.
Another Chinese player Wang Hao won his first match easily against Tang Peng from Chinese Hong Kong in four straight sets.
The men's World Cup is an annual top level competition recognized by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
A total of 155 players from six continents have joined in the competition since its inaugural in Hong Kong in 1980. China has won the World Cup 16 times. Last year's winner was Vladimir Samsonov from Belarus.
