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Jonathan White

Follow our live coverage of day two of the Tokyo Olympics here.
China’s Olympic tennis campaign got off to an ideal start with their top-ranked player in Tokyo Wang Qiang seeing off Veronica Cepede Royg of Paraguay in straight sets.
Wang made the decision to skip Wimbledon after the French Open to concentrate on the Olympic tournament, which kicked off at the Ariake Tennis Park on Saturday.
She was vindicated with a 6-4, 6-3 win in just over 90 minutes in the blazing Tokyo sun. Wang was unflustered, not giving up any double faults and hitting 100 per cent of her second serves.
The 29-year-old won Asian Games gold in Jakarta in 2018 and with Chinese No 1 Zhang Shuai overlooked for the Olympics, she is the torch-bearer for the tennis team.


She has already gone one better than she did in Rio five years ago where she was knocked out in the first round against Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Wang will now play the winner of Veronika Kudermetova and Garbine Muguruza.
She will be glad that Coco Gauff had to miss out on a debut Olympics in Tokyo after a Covid-19 positive test. The US teen has beaten Wang in the last two tournaments she played.


China has won tennis gold and bronze at the Olympics, with both coming in doubles. Li Ting and Sun Tiantian won women’s doubles gold at Athens 2004 while Zheng Jie and Yan Zi took bronze at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
China’s doubles players in Tokyo will be Zheng Saisai and partner Duan Yingying, alongside the other pairing of Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan.



Wang’s fellow women’s singles representative Zheng is playing medal favourite and face of the Games Naomi Osaka in the opening round.


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Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Tokyo Olympics: China’s Wang Qiang beats Veronica Cepede Royg in tennis opener

China's Qiang Wang. Photo: AFP

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China’s Wang Qiang is set to miss this year’s Wimbledon. Photo: Xinhua

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Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi-kem reaches for a return, tracked by partner Wong Chun-ting, in their mixed doubles loss at the quarter-final stage. Photo: AP

Tokyo Olympics: Naomi Osaka draws China’s Zheng Saisai, Novak Djokovic opens ‘golden slam’ drive against Hugo Dellien

Naomi Osaka practising for the Games at the Ariake Tennis Centre in Tokyo. Photo: AP

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - MARCH 26: Saisai Zheng of China returns a shot to Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic during the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on March 26, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

(210712) -- LONDON, July 12, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates with the trophy after winning the men's final match between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Matteo Berrettini of Italy at Wimbledon tennis Championship in London, Britain, on July 11, 2021. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)

Naomi Osaka of Japan celebrates winning championship point against Jennifer Brady of the United States during the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, in Melbourne, Australia. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images/TNS)

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Simone Biles and the US women's gymnastics team arrive at Narita Airport for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Photo: AP

DES MOINES, IOWA - JULY 25: 2019 Allyson Felix competes in the opening round of the 400 meters during the USATF Outdoor Championships at Drake Stadium on July 25, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. Andy Lyons/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

epa06902784 Norway's Karsten Warholm in action on his way to win the Men's 400m Hurdles at the IAAF Diamond League athletics anniversary games meeting in London, Britain, 21 July 2018. EPA-EFE/KIERAN GALVIN

epa07915419 Simone Biles of USA competes in the Vault women's Apparatus Final at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, 12 October 2019. EPA-EFE/DANIEL KOPATSCH

Zhu Ting of China (top centre) in action during the FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League's game between China (in yellow) and Japan (in red) at the Coliseum in Hung Hom. 04JUN19 SCMP / K. Y. Cheng

(190307) -- BEIJING, March 7, 2019 (Xinhua) -- Cao Yuan and Chen Aisen (R) of China compete during the men's 10m Platform Synchro Final at the FINA Diving World Series 2019 at the National Aquatics Center (Water Cube) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2019. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 06: Caeleb Dressel competes in the Men's 100 Butterfly heats on Day Three of the TYR Pro Swim Series at Des Moines on March 6, 2020 at the MidAmerican Energy Aquatic Center at the Wellmark YMCA in Des Moines, Iowa. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Tennis Training - Ariake Tennis Park, Tokyo, Japan - July 20, 2021 Naomi Osaka of Japan during training REUTERS/Edgar Su

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(190930) -- DOHA, Sept. 30, 2019 (Xinhua) -- Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica celebrates after the Women's 100 Meters Final at the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, Sept. 29, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Ming)

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Sport

China


Top Chinese player wins in straight sets after skipping Wimbledon to focus on Tokyo 2020 tournament
Win over Paraguayan betters her Rio 2016 debut where she lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the first round



Top Chinese player wins in straight sets after skipping Wimbledon to focus on Tokyo 2020 tournament, the result betting her performance from Rio 2016 where she lost in the first round.


WTA (Women's Tennis Association)