Rio 2016 champion Will Bayley, currently on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, was narrowly beaten in his class 7 quarter-final by Sweden's Nicklas Westerberg, who came through in a thrilling 11-5, 3-11, 4-11, 11-5, 12-10.

Bayley's compatriot Ross Wilson, the reigning world and Commonwealth Games champion and number two seed in class 8, was beaten by Ukraine's Maksym Nikolenko, 11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 12-10.

But Wetherill lifted British spirits as he accounted for Spain's Alvaro Valera, the top seed and defending champion, 5-11, 11-9, 11-2, 11-6.

"It's good but it is only a quarter-final," Wetherill told the International Table Tennis Federation. 

"He went 1-0 up but I still felt relaxed.

"When you walk into a cave and poke the bear you don't come out alive, and I think losing the first was quite good for me."

In class 4. Poland's Rafal Lis also upset the odds as he ousted Frenchman Maxime Thomas, the winner two years ago when the tournament was last staged in Lasko, Slovenia.

Lis won 11-5, 11-13, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9.

There was a close call for Thomas' compatriot Fabien Lamirault in class 2.

The top seed, and  reigning Paralympic Games and world champion, lost the opening two games against Spain's Iker Sastre, before recovering to win the next three, 7-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-1.

In the women's singles events, matters went very much according to seeding, with Russia's Nadejda Pushpasheva, the winner of the class 1-2 title two years ago in Lasko, fighting hard.

After two defeats on the opening day, she defeated Femke Cobben of the Netherlands 11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6. 

She will now face Italy's Giadi Rossi, the unbeaten top seed, in a mouth-watering group conclusion.