"I respect him too much. I love to watch his play. I love his touch, feeling, forehand and style. Today I'm just happy to have beaten him," added the Frenchman.

The four Chinese bundled in the first half of the draw all advanced into the round of 16.

Two-time defending champion Ma Long ousted Belarussian veteran Vladimir Samosonov 4-1, while the world top-ranked Fan Zhendong whitewashed Nigeria's Quadri Aruna 4-0.

Lin Gaoyuan and Liang Jingkun also went through.

Koki Niwa and Tomokazu Harimoto, both of Japan, remain in contention, while German star Timo Boll beat Japan's Masataka Morizono to move up.

China's five representatives in the women's singles - Ding Ning, Chen Meng, Liu Shiwen, Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha, all advanced into the last 16.

Ma Long/Wang Chuqin, and Lin Gaoyuan/Liang Jingkun cruised into the men's doubles quarterfinals.

In the women's doubles, Chen Meng/Zhu Yuling and Wang Manyu/Sun Yingsha both moved into the last eight.

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