China won its fourth gold medal yesterday after Qin Zhijian and Yang Ying won the mixed doubles title in the 46th World Table Tennis Championships at the Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium.
Qin and Yang, who reached the semi-finals at the last championships, easily defeated the Republic of Korean (ROK) pair Oh Sang-eun and Kim Moo-kyo 21-15, 21-15 and 21-15 to win the Heydusek Prize in 43 minutes.
Defending champions Ma Lin and Zhang Yingying of China were upset in the quarter-finals by Zhan Jian and Bai Yang.
Last Saturday and Sunday, China won the women's and men's team titles and had already secured the men's doubles crown when defending champions Wang Liqin and Yan Sen and runners-up Kong Linghui and Liu Guoliang reached today's final.
"The mixed doubles is the only event I took part in in the Osaka Championships, and I had more time to concentrate on it," said Qin, who was making his first final in the championships.
In yesterday's women's singles play, Kim Yun-mi of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea continued her giant-killing status at the championships, upsetting Mihaela Steff of Romania, and becoming the only non-Chinese in the semi-finals.
Kim will play China's Lin Ling for a place in the final. Lin, world No 14, defeated Liu Jia, a former Chinese player now representing Austria, 21-17, 21-18, 23-21.
Double Olympic champion and world No 1 Wang Nan of China brushed aside teammate Li Nan 21-13, 21-12, 21-15 to reach the semi-finals.
Defending champion Wang plays another Chinese player Zhang Yining for a place in the final. Zhang, world No 3, was fully stretched before overcoming teammate Niu Jianfeng.
China occupied five of eight places in the men's singles quarter-finals after Kong Linghui, Liu Guoliang, Wang Liqin, Ma Lin and Liu Guozheng all won in the fourth round yesterday.
The highly-expected encounter between Swedish veteran Jan-Ove Waldner and Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus turned out to be a dull one.
Eighth-seeded Samsonov, the 1999 European champion and 1997 World Championships runner-up, met token resistance from No 11 seed Waldner, once branded the master of table tennis, winning 21-8, 21-14 and 21-18.
Samsonov next plays China's defending Olympic champion Kong Linghui, who defeated Patrick Chila of France.
World No 1 Wang Liqin of China survived a strong challenge from Jorgen Persson of Sweden. The win sent Wang into the quarter-final, where he will meet Kim Taek-soo of ROK.
Kim, world No 9, upset seventh seeded Zoran Primorac of Croatia 21-16, 21-17 and 21-16.
Atlanta Olympic champion and world No 5 Liu Guoliang was right on his way to defend the title after making quick work of Romania's Adrian Crisan.
Liu plays tournament's No 4 seed Chiang Peng-Lung of Chinese Taipei in the quarter-finals. Chiang also eased by Germany's Timo Boll 21-18, 21-16 and 21-18.
World Cup winner and last championships runner-up Ma Lin also advanced after a win over Germany's Joerg Rosskopf.
(China Daily 05/05/2001)
