Tournament hosts China beat France 8-2 to clinch their sixth consecutive win at the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) Mixed Team World Cup in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Thursday.
World No. 1 pair Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha beat Alexis Lebrun and Jia Nan Yuan 11-7, 12-10, 11-5 in the opening mixed doubles match to put the home side ahead 3-0.
Wang Manyu then doubled China's advantage after sweeping aside Prithika Pavade 11-9, 12-10, 11-2 in the women's singles battle.
"In the face of difficulties, we still need to stay focused and be patient to forge ahead," Wang Manyu said.
Felix Lebrun broke up the shutout by rallying past Liang Jingkun 6-11, 13-11, 11-7 in the men's singles contest, keeping the French side in the hunt after closing the gap to 7-2.
But the Lebrun brothers, who then faced Wang Chuqin and Lin Shidong in a must-win men's doubles showdown, were not able to extend their squad's stay any further, as the Chinese duo sealed the deal 11-8.
The round-robin second stage will continue on Friday with China confronting Germany, while the Republic of Korea go up against Japan.
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