China has secured three gold medals and has four men in the
singles quarter-finals and two pairs in the women's doubles semis
at the world table tennis championships.
Friday's competition saw Chinese snap up the last four berths in
the women's singles, fill the final slots in the men's doubles and
finish one-two in the mixed doubles.
Table tennis chief Adham Sharara received a heavy blow as the
organization he leads voted down a proposal on glue ban that he
keenly advocated.
The fifth day of competition was wrapped up with a clash of 2003
and 2005 mixed doubles champions.
Wang Liqin and Guo Yue, defending champions, beat Ma Lin and
Wang Nan 13-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10 in the final.
Hong Kong duo Ko Lai Chak/Tie Yana and Chinese pair Qiu Yike/Cao
Zhen finished joint third.
The showcase men's singles is set to be spectacular as three of
Saturday's quarter-finals won't be Chinese vs. Chinese.
Ma Lin, four-time World Cup winner, yet never an owner of a
singles world championship, crushed Hong Kong player Leung Chu Yan
11-9, 9-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-7.
The top seed will confront sixth-seeded Vladimir Samsonov of
Belarus, who advanced with a 13-11, 8-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-4, 8-11,
11-3 victory over Singapore's Gao Ning.
Fourth-seeded Chinese Wang Hao outlasted Chinese Taipei's
ChuanChih-Yuan 15-13, 10-12, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-2.
Wang, the surprise loser to South Korean Ryu Seung Min in the
2004 Olympic final, will meet Ryu's compatriot Joo Se Hyuk, who
chopped down Chinese upstart Ma Long 5-11, 7-11, 11-9, 12-10,
11-6.
Ryu edged out teammate Oh Sang Eun 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 3-11,
10-12, 11-9, 11-7 to set up a clash with German star Timo Boll.
Boll, ranked third and regarded by Chinese as the biggest
threat, overcame Greek veteran Kalinikos Kreanga 11-6, 8-11,
11-4,15-13, 11-4.
The other two last-16 games took place between Chinese.
Defending champion Wang Liqin whitewashed Hou Yingchao 11-9,
11-7, 11-7, 11-6, and Hao Shuai wore down Chen Qi 11-7, 7-11,
14-12, 11-13, 10-12, 11-9, 11-9.
The women's singles semifinals will be China's intra-squad
matter, with Zhang Yining facing Guo Yue, and Guo Yan against Li
Xiaoxia.
Top seed Zhang Yining blanked South Korean Kim Kyung Ah 11-3,
11-4, 11-6, 16-14, and Guo Yue shut out American Wang Chen 11-6,
11-3, 11-1, 11-7.
World Cup holder Guo Yan nipped Chinese national champion Peng
Luyang 11-6, 11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8 and Li Xiaoxia stunned more
titled teammate Wang Nan, 11-5, 11-6, 12-10, 14-16, 11-8.
In the men's doubles, Chen Qi/Ma Lin and Wang Hao/Wang Liqin
have set up an all-Chinese final.
In the women's doubles, Olympic champs Wang Nan/Zhang Yining
beat Li Nan/Liu Shiwen to face Li Jia Wei/Wang Yue Gu in Saturday's
semifinals.
Guo Yue/Li Xiaoxia will play against South Korea's Kim Kyung Ah/
Park Mi Young in the other semifinal.
The council of the International Table Tennis Federation
(ITTF)denied the Sharara-backed proposal to ban the solvent-based
glue from September 1, 2007, instead of the same date in 2008,
which was decided by the ITTF council one year ago.
Solvent-based glue, which increases speed and spin, is more or
less hazardous to health and its replacement - water-based glue, is
reportedly clean.
Sharara, whose authority is often challenged by table tennis
powers in Europe and Asia, had threatened that he would resign if
the glue ban failed to pass the council meeting.
"Everyone agrees that the solvent-based glue should be banned. The
difference is when," said Cai Zhenhua, an ITTF council member who
is also a vice president of the Chinese Table Tennis
Association.
"If the ban is imposed before the 2008 Olympic Games, it will
surely affect players and makes table tennis a less spectacular
sport in the Olympics," Cai added.
(Xinhua News Agency May 26, 2007)