DOHA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Women's world No. 2 Wang Manyu of China defeated Japan's Satsuki Odo in straight games, while men's third seed Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan eliminated China's Xiang Peng to reach the second round of the 2026 World Table Tennis Champions Doha tournament on Thursday.
Wang was in good form in her first match of the year, breezing past wildcard Odo 12-10, 11-5, 11-6. The 26-year-old will confront France's Prithika Pavade in the second round.
"A comeback win in the first game helped a lot in finding my pace. I was prepared to make response accordingly. I will strive to further improve my performance this year," Wang said after the match.
After winning last month's WTT Finals, Harimoto continued his momentum into the new year to claim an 11-4, 11-7, 11-8 victory over Xiang.
Harimoto next faces China's Zhou Qihao, who saw off South Korea's An Jae-hyun 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-7.
China's Liang Jingkun, Chen Yuanyu, Chen Xingtong and Chen Yi also advanced.
With the absence of top-ranked players Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, nine out of ten Chinese participants secured berths in the last 16. ■
