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Suzhou (China), May 1 (IANS)
Top-ranked table tennis player Ma Long played an aggressive top-spin game to beat the world's best defensive player at the World Championships here on Friday.
The 26-year-old Chinese beat 17th-ranked South Korean Joo Sae-hyuk 11-4, 11-3, 11-9, 10-12, 11-6, reports Xinhua.
Ma, the 2012 World Cup winner, has been notoriously under-achieving at Olympics and World Championships, overshadowed by teammate Zhang Jike, who has completed a Grand Slam of Olympics, World Championships and World Cup singles titles.
Zhang, aiming for his third straight world singles crown, takes on Belarus veteran Vladimir Samosonov for a quarter-final berth.
Joo, who plays a chop-and-attack game, had trouble in responding to firepower from Ma and lost the first two sets easily. As he put more spin to his chops and distracted his rival with counter-attacks, Joo narrowly lost the third set but won the fourth.
Using powerful forehand attacks coupled with placement shots, Ma didn't give a chance to an already jaded Joo, wrapping up the game in five sets.
Ma will vie for a semifinal spot against the winner between Hong Kong's Tang Peng and South Korea's Lee Sang-su.
