China’s teenager takes 11 minutes to advance at TT Worlds

Paris, May 14 (IANS) Eighteen-year-old debutante Hu Limei of China took only 11 minutes to beat Haliti Ilirjana of Kosovo in the first round of qualifying at the World Table Tennis Championships here.

Hu, who has yet to be ranked in the world and was competing in her first major tournament, demolished Ilirjana, 11-2, 11-2, 11-0, 11-1 Monday.

Hu emerged from the star-studded Chinese team in the domestic qualifying tournament and is only one out of the seven Chinese players competing in the qualifying round for a berth in the main draw.

“I didn’t want to win the third game on love. But she faulted in her serve when I led 10-0,” she was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

“I got prepared well before the match. I can’t believe the gap,” she said.

Hu will next take on Tamolwan Khetkhuan of Thailand, ranked 345th in the world, in her second qualifying match. Should she win, she will qualify for the 128-player main draw.

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