GUANGZHOU, China, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- A Hong Kong player owed his team's cliffhanging win over Belarus to a supporting crowd at the world table tennis championships here on Thursday.

　　    "I'd like to thank all home audience and table tennis fans for their unwavering support which helped me out of the predicament," Li Jing said after his squad earned a quarterfinal berth through grueling struggle.

　　    Hong Kong's top seed Li Ching dismissed Vitaly Nekhvedovich of Belarus and sealed a 3-2 win for his team in a match which last for nearly three hours.

　　    "Perhaps it were the acclaims of the spectators that scared my opponents away," said Li half-jokingly after the match.

　　    Li, who lost two points to Denmark Tuesday, suffered his second defeat by succumbing to Singapore's Gao Ning in the fourth round at group stage.

　　    "I really wanted to cry," Li said referring to the unexpected losses.

　　    Li attributed his defeats to fatigue. "I rested for two whole days which help me recover," he added.

　　    Viewing the match as a "win-or-die" battle, Hong Kong pitted 27th-ranked Tang Peng, Li and Ko Lai Chak against Vitaly Nekhvedovich, former European champion Vladimir Samsonov and Evgueni Chtchetinine.

　　    Li, the second onto court, increased Hong Kong's deficit to 0-2after succumbing to 6th-ranked Samsonov 1-3.

　　    Under enormous pressure, 26-ranked Ko and 27-ranked Tang managed to fend off a fired up Belarus through tenacious fight, leveling 2-2 on set.

　　    "Samsonov was such a staunch rival that we had never won over him," said Tang, who fulfilled a nearly impossible mission by beating Samsonov 3-1 in the fourth game.

　　    "This is really like a journey from hell to heaven," said Chen Jianghua, head coach of the Hong Kong team. He praised Li for his capability to control himself in crucial moments.

　　    According to Li, Chen asked him whether he dared to come onto court again following his consecutive defeats. "I told him I dare and I am willing to go all out to fight," said Li.

　　    Li and Ko won Hong Kong a silver medal in the men's doubles in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the first ever table tennis medal for Hong Kong.

　　    Back on court for the second outing, Li demonstrated great grit and determination in playing every shot, bringing cheers from the passionate Chinese audience who chanted "Come on, Li Ching," "Come on, Hong Kong team."

　　    "I appreciated their trust and support very much, especially those in Guangzhou," said Li, adding that he would not play conservatively in face of pressure and challenges.

　　    Ko said if the team failed to reach the second stage competition, the players might not dare to show up on streets in Hong Kong. He added that the aim of the Hong Kong squad is to make it to the top three.

　　    Hong Kong eliminated Singapore in a seesaw match of all-Chinese players Wednesday. It has scored dominant victories over Spain and Greece before losing to Denmark in group D.

　　    Also on Thursday, Singapore outlasted Spain 3-1 and China thumped Italy 3-0.

　　    Twenty-four teams are vying in four groups in the championship division in the week-long tournament. China, South Korea and Japan romped into the quarter-finals with the second and third-placed squads in each group fighting in the knock-out stage for the remaining spots.