(by Wade Townsend)

The last 32 of the Men’s Singles kicked off with the victors emerging with barely a scratch.

Timo Boll kept the German fans entertained with a 4-1 victory over Jang Woojin (KOR).  The crowds were enthralled as the hometown hero was in cruise control the entire match.

Lubomir Pistej (SVK) could be a wild card in the Men’s Singles. He eliminated Jeoung Youngsik (KOR) in the first round. It could have just been considered a flash in the pan; but here we are in the last 16 and the Slovakian is still hanging around.

“All players from the top hundred can play at a high enough level to beat anyone.” Lubomir Pistej

His words spoken after his first round win still hold true, and have been epitomised by his next opponent, Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN). This kid is not a pretender, he’s a contender. Should we jinx him and start whispering the prospect of a medal?

Xu Xin (CHN) removed the last man standing from outside of Europe and Asia, defeating Hugo Calderano (BRA) 4-1. Calderano showed signs of pushing the match deeper early on, but nothing came to fruition.

The next round of Men’s Singles is at 18:30 local time. Be sure to watch live on itTV.

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