KUNSHAN, China — Wang Shixian and the Chinese women's team steamrolled through Spain Tuesday night at the Uber Cup in China, dispatching the top ranked player and securing a quarterfinal berth to boot.
Spain struggled out of the gate with the tournament favorite, with world number No. 1 Carolina Marin falling in a three-game tussle against sixth ranked Wang Shixian.
Marin managed to keep Wang just at arm's reach in the first set before ultimately falling in the next two games in an air tight 19-21, 21-18, 21-19 loss that clocked in at nearly 90 minutes.
Following Marin's loss, the Chinese pummeled the Spaniards, with Sun Yu and world No. 4 Wang Yihan recording straight set wins in a half-hour to help complete the 5-0 rout.
In afternoon play, Lee Chong Wei's Malaysian squad survived a nail-biting showdown with Asian rival South Korea in the Thomas Cup.
The world No. 3 led the charge as Malaysia edged out South Korea 3-2 at the world team championship in Kunshan to finish as the top seed from its grouping ahead of the quarterfinals later this week.
The day did not start off promisingly for the Koreans with world No. 3 Lee pushing past ninth ranked Son Wan-ho in straight sets.
The Koreans were able to rally with doubles squads Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong, and Kim Gi-jung and Kim Sa-rang, prevailing in back-to-back wins.
But the Malaysians' depth on the singles front won the day with Chong Wei Feng besting South Korea's Jeon Hyeok-jin 21-16, 21-16.
The five-time Thomas Cup champ is aiming to break its 24-year drought at the tournament.
In earlier Uber action, the Malaysian women's squad failed to stir a similar resurgence against Denmark, allowing the Danes to clinch a spot in the quarters after the closely contested 3-2 battle.
In the deciding singles match of the tie, Anne Thea Madsen sent the Malaysians crashing out of the tournament with a 22-24, 21-13, 21-13 win over Ho Yen Mei.
Both competitions feature 16 teams divided into four groups, with the top two in each qualifying for the quarterfinals.
