By Henry Chen

The team captain of the Chinese Team made his first appearance in the Olympic Games. As expected, Ma Long showed power and authority, leaving his opponent, Jonathan Groth with very limited chance in their match.

It was a one way traffic for the Chinese player who sealed the match with 11-3, 11-2, 11-3, 11-9.

Of course, Ma Long felt good about his performance. “Today, everything was relatively relaxed, including the technical application in the match. It was smooth. Therefore, I can say I felt good.” Ma Long said.

Ding Ning was equally powerful in her own match against Elizabeta Samara. The Chinese player sealed 4-0 for the next round.

“I thought it was okay. I just fought for every point. Because I just started in the competition, I need to adjust myself as quickly as possible. Actually, I had very difficult preparation for today.” Ding Ning said.

The Grand Slam champion Li Xiaoxia was also able to keep up with her teammates. She recorded a 4-0 victory against Li Fen of Sweden. The scores were 11-7, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7.

The last player from the Chinese Team to play in the third round was no other than Zhang Jike. Although it was just in the third round, the anticipation built for this match was huge, after all he played against Chen Chien An.

Zhang Jike Jike may have lost some matches before against the younger player from Chinese Taipei but in a very important competition like the Olympic Games, there seems no other option but to win.

In 4-0, Zhang Jike definitely imposed his advantages against his familiar opponent.

According to some fans, they can only see the real Zhang Jike in big competitions. Zhang Jike then replied that he do invests and enjoys for every point in the arena.

Liu Guoliang was a proud coach. He then stressed the important role of focus. “Any player can not afford to be distracted in the competition. In table tennis, every point is extremely crucial.” Liu Guoliang said.