China will take on a supercharged Singapore for a gold medal in the Olympic women's team table tennis tournament after the two Asian powerhouses won their semifinal matches?in Beijing?Friday.
Chinese women, whose triumph seemed to have an air of inevitability, easily took down Hong Kong of China in the semifinal 3-0, while Singapore slew a tenacious South Korea 3-2, a historic victory that ended the city-state's 48-year Olympic medal drought.
The final on Sunday will produce the first team champion in the history of the Olympic Games as the doubles event has been replaced by a round-robin team tournament.
"The final will be tough so we will contend for the team title, but not play like a defender," Chinese women's head coach Shi Zhihao said.
"We will do some studies on Singapore, which seems to have good techniques and high morale," China's world number one Zhang Yining said. "We won't be overcautious because I believe the aggressive side will prevail."
Singaporean coach Liu Guodong said that "we will try our best to play China in the final though they are much stronger than us. To win or to lose, we are successful because my team is the best besides China."
"At least, we will get a silver medal," he added.
World number one Zhang beat 10th-ranked Tie Yana 11-7, 11-4, 11-3 late Friday, before world champion Guo Yue had no difficulty in demolishing Lin Ling 11-7, 12-10, 11-4.
Zhang and Grand Slam veteran Wang Nan, who won the doubles gold at the Athens Games, then quickly finished off Lau Sui Fei and Lin Ling 114, 12-10, 11-4 in the doubles.
"We were unwilling to play China in the semifinal because they are too strong," Hong Kong coach Li Huifen said. "We will play Japan tomorrow and I think we have a chance to get a bronze medal."
Earlier in the day, Singaporean women, led by Beijing-born Li Jia Wei, continued its powerful ascent against a South Korean team featuring two choppers, who caused a lot of troubles.
Feng Tianwei of Singapore easily beat Dang Ye-seo in straight games, while Kim Kyung-ah, a handshake chopper, foiled higher-ranked Li's fast attack, winning 5-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9.
Li paired with Wang Yue Gu, showing perfect teamwork to beat Kim and Park Mi-young 3-0. But Dang crushed an exhausted Wang in the following singles match.
With the match tied at 2-2, Feng sealed Singapore's success, beating a tenacious Park 11-7, 12-10, 3-11, 11-9.
"I had to be patient and wait for opportunities to attack," said Feng. "When everyone was nervous at the last moment, staying calm was my advantage."
"The style of the South Korean pair was difficult for us and we lost to them the last time we played," said Li. "But I'm really happy that we won this time."
South Korean coach Hyun Jung-hwa told reporters that Singaporeans improved a lot with hard training.
"It's pity that we lost, but we will try to get a bronze medal," she added.
Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and the United States will fight for a bronze medal in an elimination game beginning on Saturday.
(Xinhua News Agency August 15,2008)