Greece beat China 89-81 on Saturday in the opener of the 2010 FIBA World Championships after leading the game at first but encountering a China rally in the second half.

Ranked the world's 4th strongest team by FIBA, Greece finished up the first half 47-37 and established a 56-43 lead during the second half.

China fought back in the third quarter and the gap was narrowed to 65-62 at the end of the period after rebounds and assists by former NBA player Wang Zhizhi and a powerful dunk by Sun Yue.

In the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, Washington Wizards forward Yi Jianlian helped put China into a 66-65 lead with four free throws. However, Nikos Zisis' three-point play quickly put Greece in front again.

Three-pointers by Wang and Sun managed to get China within 79-81, but Greece then pulled away and edged out China 89-81.

Yi scored the highest 26 points in the game.

NBA star center Yao Ming, who is recovering from the foot injury, was not included in the Chinese squad for the basketball worlds.

Absent from the Greek team were Antonis Fotsis and Sofoklis Schortsanitis, who were suspended by FIBA for taking part in a brawl during an exhibition game against Serbia last week.

In the preliminary match in western Turkey's Izmir on Saturday, Lithuania defeated New Zealand 92-79.

A total of 24 teams, divided into four groups, are qualified for the championships, which will be held from Aug. 28 to Sept. 12 in four Turkish cities of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Kayseri.

The winner will automatically qualify for the London 2012 Olympics.