|
|
|
| May 6, 2005 | Friday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 26, 1426 |
China’s Zhang crowned women’s champion
SHANGHAI, May 5: World No 1 Zhang Yining lifted the women’s singles crown at the world table tennis championships Thursday, taking her place among the all time greats as China racked up another two gold medals. The Olympic and Asian champion’s tunnel-vision drive for world championship glory was never in doubt, and she diligently put paid to compatriot Guo Yan’s dream in front of a worshipping crowd at the Shanghai Sports Gymnasium.
China, which had already bagged the mixed doubles title, made it three out of three with Kong Linghui and Wang Hao demolishing Germany’s Timo Boll and Christian Suss in the men’s doubles final.
China is in the hunt for a clean sweep of all five golds here and has two paddlers left in the last four of the men’s singles while three Chinese pairs are in the semifinals of the women’s doubles.
Both those matches are played on Friday.
While the the robotic Zhang has been in dominant form in Shanghai, she wobbled against Guo, who took two sets off her friend and saved three match points before succumbing 4/11, 11/7, 11/7, 4/11, 11/8, 13/11.
The pencil-thin Zhang paved the way for victory by beating Lin Ling of Hong Kong in the semifinals earlier on Thursday, while Guo saw off emerging star Guo Yue, also of China.
Zhang only dropped three sets in the tournament and proved she is in a class of her own, pushing herself to the limit in her quest to take the title Wang Nan denied her in Paris two years ago.
That narrow defeat was devastating for Zhang but it ultimately paid dividends, forcing her to try even harder.
The effort has paid off with the intervening years seeing her take the Olympic, World Cup and now world championships titles, putting her among an elite few to achieve the treble, including Wang Nan and Deng Yaping.
“In the past years, I have experienced all kinds of difficulties. I finished with silver medals so many times. But defeats are not useless and they have become my assets,” she said.
While China has two competitors left in the men’s singles to take that gold, chinks in their armour have been exposed, with the likes of Wang Hao and Hao Shuai caving in under pressure to lesser opponents.
The top-ranked Wang Liqin is another notorious for choking in crunch matches but continued his march towards the men’s singles crown with a hard-fought 4-2 win over teammate Chen Qi in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
The surprise of the day came from little known Dane Michael Maze who followed up his fourth round thrashing of world No.3 Wang Hao by coming from behind to edge out China’s Hao Shuai.
Maze was 3-0 down and on the verge of defeat before rallying to win 4-3 and keep the European flag flying. He will play China’s Ma Lin, the second seed, who beat compatriot Liu Guozheng.
Oh Sang Eun of South Korea, the sixteenth seed, is also through after beating Peter Karlsson of Sweden.
Thursday’s results:
Women’s final: Zhang Yining (CHN) bt Guo Yan (CHN) 4/11, 11/7, 11/7, 4/11, 11/8, 13/11.
Women’s semifinals: Zhang Yining (CHN) bt Lin Ling (HKG) 10/12, 11/4, 11/5, 11/3, 11/7; Guo Yan (CHN) bt Guo Yue (CHN) 10/12, 11/3, 11/6, 11/7, 11/9.
Men’s quarterfinals: Wang Liqin (CHN) bt Chen Qi (CHN) 8/11, 12/10, 11/4, 8/11, 11/9, 11/3; Oh Sang-eun (KOR) bt Peter Karlsson (SWE) 11/7, 11/13, 11/7, 11/7, 7/11, 11/9; Michael Maze (DEN) bt Hao Shuai (CHN) 5/11, 8/11, 6/11, 12/10,11/7, 11/9, 11/6; Ma Lin (CHN) bt Liu Guozheng (CHN) 12/10, 5/11, 11/13, 11/8, 11/6, 11/9.
Men’s doubles finals: Kong Linghui/Wang Hao (CHN x3) bt Christian Suss/Timo Boll (GER) 11/9, 11/3, 11/9, 7/11, 11/6.—AFP
|
|
|
|
