HOUSTON (AP) – Timo Boll overcame the first major hurdle at the Table Tennis World Championships in Houston and advanced to the third round by defeating Chinese Zhou Qihao.

After a first-round bye, 4:1 (11:8, 11:6, 11:8, 5:11, 12:10) was the first individual game for Bol at the Premier World Cup in the United States. «I immediately tried to take a little risk, play precision and focus. It all went great from the start,” Boll said. “When he plays easy, he is very strong. But over and over again I have managed to keep him busy and upset, somehow,” said the European champion.

Bol will now face 19-year-old Pang Yuen Koen of Singapore in the best 32 round. In addition to the 40-year-old, three other German men represent in the third round of singles. Boll’s double partner and European team champion Patrick Franziska won 4–0 against Canada’s Jeremy Hajin and is now playing against Sweden’s Trulls Morgaard. Ruwen Filas recorded a 4-0 win against France’s Can Akkuju and will now face Jakob Diazus of Poland. Benedict Duda registered a 4-1 win against Marcos Freitas of Portugal.

There is no German duel as Chinese Liang Jingkun won 4:3 against Dang Qiu. “I definitely played well, it’s bitter that I lost,” Qiu said.

In the women’s singles tournament, Patrica Soulja is already eliminated. European champions Romania lost 3:4 to Andrea Dragoman. Sabine Winter also lost her second round duel. It was 1:4 for them against Dou Hoi Kem of Hong Kong. Ying Han and Soulja’s double partner Xiaona Shan, however, will continue to participate in the first World Cup to be held in the USA.