GUANGZHOU, China, Feb 25, 2008 - Powerhouse China fought off ferocious challenges on the second day of the world team table tennis championships here Monday, but not before their veterans suffered shock defeats.

　　World champion Wang Liqin lost his first match of the competition here against his Romanian opponent, before quickly recovering to help China win 3-1.

　　"This was a great surprise, who could have believed that we could win a game against China," Romanian coach Dinu Mircea said.

　　"Some days Andrei Filimon plays not so well and other days he plays very well, today he played great," Mircea said of the paddler who claimed Wang's scalp.

　　China's women hours earlier fended off North Korea, who were fired up after dismissing Wang Nan, one of the sport's most decorated players.

　　The host nation dispatched Olympic champion Zhang Yining and world number two Li Xiaoxia to eventually defeat North Korea 3-1, as China remained on course to retain their men's and women's titles.

　　The defeats, however, are blows for the veterans, the oldest members of their teams at 29, who need to impress Chinese officials here as they battle to qualify for the Beijing Olympics in August.

　　"I give myself zero points," Wang said of her performance against North Korea's Kim Jong, whom she beat at the worlds two years ago.

　　Women's coach Shi Zhihao said the tough matches were a wakeup call for his charges, as China prepares for the Olympics where they are expected to take a clean sweep of the golds.

　　"To lose a game is good because the Chinese women must wake up to themselves and realise that they are not always the strongest team in the world," he said.

　　In other matches, South Korea impressed against the Czech Republic in Group B as they gun for their first team title, while Germany and Japan continued their unbeaten runs to stay top of Group C.

　　Japan thrashed France 3-0 while Germany, determined to finish higher than their third place at the last worlds, downed Serbia 3-1.

　　Singapore and Hong Kong also remain undefeated after they beat Belarus and Greece 3-0 respectively in Group D.

　　In other women's matches, Hong Kong, seeking to derail the Chinese juggernaut after finishing second at the last two worlds, trounced Spain 3-0.

　　They are seeking top spot in Group C along with Germany who overcame Austria 3-0. Singapore cruised past Taiwan and then Romania, both 3-0, in Group B.

　　Japan beat the Czech Republic 3-1 and South Korea defeated the Netherlands 3-0 as the two Asian powers jostle for supremacy in Group D.

　　The United States, in Group A with China, are so far unbeaten after downing Croatia 3-2 and then Russia 3-1. Some women's matches are ongoing.

　　Twenty-four countries are competing in four groups in division one of the week-long world championships. The first-placed teams in each group qualify for the quarter-finals, while the teams that finish second and third will battle it out for the remaining spots in the last eight.

　　The competition comes as the sport's governing body, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), seeks to restrict the number of mainly Chinese-born players, who dominate the top rankings, in elite competition.

　　An ITTF proposal aims to make it more difficult for paddlers to switch to play for another country in world events, a move that would hurt Chinese-born players who miss out on selection for China.