Top seed Zhang advances in table tennis singles

BEIJING – Defending gold medalist Zhang Yining of China has advanced easily in the women's table tennis singles competition, needing only 25 minutes to beat Belarus' Viktoria Pavlovich in straight games. Zhang is the top-ranked player in the world. She dominated her 34th-ranked opponent Wednesday with speedy returns and near-flawless execution, but insists she had to work hard. As Zhang puts it: "When she chops at the ball, the shots are long and have a lot of spin and she doesn't hit them high. It's difficult to hit them hard." China swept to the team gold in table tennis, but Zhang says the singles event — where the loser of a match is eliminated — is be a challenge. – AP