Ma
Lin?(R)?serves with?his partner?Chen Qi during
the final of the men's double against their powerful compatriot
rivals Wang Liqin and Wang Hao at the 49th World Table Tennis
Championships in Zagreb, Croatia on
Sunday.
?
China's Wang Liqin eliminated the last
non-Chinese player from the table tennis world championships on
Sunday to ensure a third gold and silver medal sweep for the
Chinese team.
?
Wang Liqin shut the last non-Chinese out of the world table
tennis championships on Sunday, ensuring China's clean sweep of
gold and silver medals for the third time.
The defending champion played a technically smart game to
outlast South Korean Olympic champion Ryu Seung Min 6-11, 11-3,
11-7, 14-16, 11-6, 10-12, 11-7, joining teammate Ma Lin in the
final.
It is the fifth time for China to clean sweep the individual
golds and for the third time, after the 1981 and 2001
championships, to walk way with all the golds and silvers.
In the seventh set decider, Wang forced the South Korean to make
mistakes by pressuring on his backhand and hitting open space on
his forehand side.
Ryu had driven into the net four times, before Wang jumped to a
8-4 lead and then ran away 10-7. A backhand service return too long
by Ryu made the lanky Shanghaiese the third-time singles world
champion.?
?
The South Korean penholder opened brilliantly with a 4-0 lead as
Wang looked hesitant. The Chinese had closed it to 4-6 but Ryu
cashed in on a series of errors by the opponent to face the set
point, which was lost by Wang who sent a forehand drive too
long.
Taking head coach Liu Guoliang's advice, Wang frequently
returned to Ryu's righthand open space. The tactics went well and
Wang took the second set 11-3.
Wang changed his tactics in the third set as he fired to Ryu's
backhand. This set was 11-7 in favor of the 2001 and 2005 world
champion.
Ryu overcame Wang's 4-1 lead to move ahead 9-7 in the fourth
set. Wang made it nine-all before the match moved on like a seasaw
game.
At 14-14, Wang sent a topspin strike to the net and then served
into the net to concede the set.
Then Ryu's topspin play went wrong. He drove into the net seven
times to lose the fifth set 11-6.
The sixth set was Wang's turn to make mistakes. He sent returns
to the net as many as Ryu did earlier, losing by two points to face
the deciding set.
Wang said after the match that both finalists had played to
their best.
"It was a very difficult game, for which I had prepared
thoroughly," said Wang.
So had Ryu, who said he spent most of last night studying Wang's
video.
"Ryu has been in superb form after beating his teammate Oh
SangEun and German Timo Boll, who both had never lost to Ryu before
this world championships," Wang commented.
Wang said new techniques and tactics he used against Ryu worked
very well.
"I did fairly well in service returns," he said. "I used my
backhand to receive Ryu's services, the technique I had rarely
used."
Ryu said he was satisfied with his play.
"I stretched Wang Liqin to seven sets and that means I have
become a better player," said Ryu. "I have hit top form and shown
the best of my play."
Earlier, Ma Lin ousted fellow Chinese Wang Hao 6-11, 11-9,
12-10, 4-11, 11-9, 11-6 in the first semifinal.
In last world championship final in 2005, Wang Liqin downed Ma
Lin, who had finished runner-up to Liu Guoliang in the 1999
final.
In the women's doubles final on Sunday, defending Olympic and
world champions Wang Nan/Zhang Yining beat Guo Yue/Li Xiaoxia
11-5,11-6, 13-11, 11-9, with losing semifinalists Kim Kyung Ah/Park
Mi Young of South Korea and Li Jia Wei/Wang Yue Gu of Singapore
picking bronze medals.
(Xinhua News Agency May 28, 2007)
