Taipei, Sept. 10 (CNA) Nine Taiwanese players stormed into the quarterfinal round of singles and doubles events Friday in the 2010 World University Badminton Championship in Taipei after Taiwan scored its best ever finish in the team event a day earlier.
Taiwanese players took three of the eight spots in the women's singles quarterfinals, two places in the men's doubles quarterfinals, and one spot each in the quarterfinals of the mixed doubles and men's singles in the competition that runs through Sunday.
Cheng Shao-chieh, Pai Hsiao-ma and Hung Shih-han all took two wins in straight sets Friday in the women's singles to reach the final eight.
Pai, the gold medalist in Taiwan's latest national tournament after sitting out for one and a half years due to injury, is scheduled to meet 19-year-old Asian Championship gold winner Li Xuerui of China in the quarterfinals.
Fang Chieh-min and Lee Sheng-mu, Taiwan's most competitive men's double pairs, defeated the Chinese pair of Huang Haitao and Wei Tingxiang to make the quarterfinals along with compatriots Chen Hung-lin and Lin Yu-lang.
Chen Hung-lin and Hsieh Pei-jung advanced to the mixed doubles quarterfinals while third-seeded Hsueh Hsuan-yi became Taiwan's lone men's singles quarterfinalist.
On Thursday, Taiwan lost to China 3-2 in a dramatic team final to take silver, its best finish in history in the team category. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls