Hong Kong paddler Wong fearless ahead of 2016 Asian Cup men's singles semifinal

China's top seeds Xu Xin and Zhang Jike reached the semifinals of the 2016 Nakheel Table Tennis Asian Cup here on Friday as Zhang will face the world's No. 9 Wong Chun Ting from Hong Kong, China.

Wong told Xinhua he does not feel any pressure ahead of his encounter with Zhang Jike, No. 4 in the men's International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Rankings.

"The pressure is all on the team of China, because if they lose, they will face more pressure in the coming tournaments," said Wong, who defeated Japanese player Jun Mizutani 4-2 in a tough battle.

Zhang Jike considers the Asian Cup an important test as it takes place 100 days ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to 21.

The 26-year-old Xu Xin trounced Lee Sangsu from South Korea in 4-1. The world No. 3 Xu said: "I had some pressure at the beginning of the match as both of us started with speed and tough attacks. Later I started to enjoy the game as the locals fans made the Dubai's World Trade Center Zabeel exhibition halls more exciting. The mental pressure is always there and what I need to do is to improve with every single match."

The left-handed Xu will face Gao Ning from Singapore in the semifinal. The final will be held on Saturday.