China's paddlers win hearts as well as matches

Just like the NBA players on the United States' 1992 "Dream Team", China's all-conquering table tennis squad has managed, in its own way, to turn its opponents into fans at the Olympics.

The ping-pong "dream team", undisputed favorite in all five disciplines in Paris, has seen its massive appeal extend from fans back home to a worldwide following, with players of some rival delegations becoming admirers of the dominant, yet approachable, Chinese champions.

While their fellow superstars on the basketball team cause an uproar everywhere they appear in Paris, players on the US table tennis team have found different superstars to look up to at the Games.

"They're all truly the best players in the world. Ma Long is the GOAT (greatest of all time). He's been around for so long, he's a living legend. It will be a dream to be able to play alongside him," US women's singles player Lily Zhang said when asked who she'd pick as a "dream partner" in mixed doubles at a news conference last week.

Starting with Zhang, the most experienced paddler on Team USA, her younger teammates Amy Wang and Rachel Sung both joined the fun discussion of the best possible partner from Team China.

"It would be an absolute honor to play with any of them. The one I really want to play mixed doubles with is Lin Gaoyuan, who is not on the Chinese team this year," said Wang, who cruised past Priscilla Tommy of Vanuatu 4-0 in 25 minutes in her career first Olympic match, and will face Puerto Rico's Adriana Diaz in the women's singles second round on Tuesday.

"I'm his No 1 fan. I met him a few years ago and liked him from that moment. He's a left-hander so we would make a good doubles pair," said Wang, a 22-year-old right-hander who won two Pan-American Games gold medals last year.

And for Sung, Wang's doubles partner and roommate at UCLA, it's a no-brainer to pick nine-time world champion Fan Zhendong as her favorite.

"I would love to play with Fan Zhendong. I met him the first time about 10 years ago during a trip to China's Liaoning province, and I've admired his game ever since," said Sung, a 20-year-old who won the doubles title with Wang at the Pan Am Games.

"He's the best in the world, and he looks cute to me."

As the table tennis competitions get into full swing in Paris, the best from the rest of the world, despite being left behind by Team China in any number of records and rankings in the sport, mince no words about their ambitions and their biggest motivation — to beat China's aces on the Olympic stage.

"Everyone knows they're the favorites. It's a good sign if I get to play against them because it means I'm in the semifinals," said world No 6, Brazil's Hugo Calderano, the only world top-10 player from Latin America.

"I believe it's possible to do it, and also to beat them. I've done it a couple of times before. You need to be in top form, because they are always well prepared," said Calderano, who stunned Fan in the most recent David-and-Goliath battle to win a WTT tour title in South Korea in March.

"The level of the other countries has risen a lot in the last few years. There are many, many very strong players who can face the Chinese and challenge them. I'm sure I'm one of them, and I hope to be able to compete against them and perform well."

As aspiring as their challengers are, the mighty Chinese proved their intimidating strength when they got underway in Paris.

All the Chinese men's and women's singles stars have sailed smoothly into their respective second rounds, while the early exit of Japan's reigning Olympic champion mixed doubles pair Hina Hayata and Tomokazu Harimoto on Saturday has all but cleared the way for Team China to achieve its aim of a clean sweep of all five gold medals in Paris.

"We are definitely paying attention to them, but we don't think so far ahead. It's more important for us to focus on each match as it comes," current men's world No 1 Wang Chuqin said of the Japanese team after beating Egypt's Omar Assar and Dina Meshref in the mixed doubles first round alongside partner Sun Yingsha.

"Anybody who is able to represent their country at the Olympic Games is an athlete with a certain level of ability. I hope we'll be able to get better and better as the matches progress," said Sun, the women's top seed.