Xu Xin (1st L) of China listens to instructions by his coach during a game against Diogo Carvalho of Portugal during the fourth round of Men's group matches at 2018 World Team Table Tennis Championships in Halmstad, Sweden, May 1, 2018. Xu Xin won the game by 3-0, and team China won the match by 3-0. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)
HALMSTAD, Sweden, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Following the women's team, China's men's team also advanced to the quarterfinal at World Team Table Tennis Championships here on Wednesday, without losing a single game.
In their last match of Group B, the reigning champion defeated DPR Korea, who hadn't savour a win in the tournament.
World top ranked Ma Long, Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin breezed past their opponents respectively by 3-0.
In Group C, despite routing Singapore 3-0 swiftly, Japan, who swallowed an expected loss to England in the third round, had no choice but to survive a knock-out match for the quarterfinal, as unbeaten England advanced directly from the group.
Top seeded Germany, led by Timo Boll and Dimitrij Ovtcharov will play Slovenia, while undefeated South Korea is to take on Croatia in the evening session of the day.
The draws of the knock-outs, which decide who can join four group winners in the quarterfinals, are scheduled later in the day.
