Two Portuguese paddlers earn berth to Beijing Olympics

LISBON, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Two Portuguese table tennis players Marco Freitas and Tiago Apolonia on Sunday ensured their passes to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing after a qualifier in Budapest concluded Sunday.

Freitas qualified after finishing ninth after defeating Hungarian Janos Jakab, Italian Mihao Bobocica and Ukrainian Lei Kou, all on 4-3, reported Portugal's news agency.

Apolonia was 15th in the Budapest qualifier, after losing 4-2 to Serbian Aleksander Karakasevic and 4-1 to Czech Petr Korbel, although he defeated Spanish Alfredo Carneros 4-1.

These two Portuguese joined their countryman Joao Monteiro to form Portugal's table tennis team.