SHANGHAI, 7 May 2005 — They don’t call it the national sport for nothing.
China captured a full five gold medals at the table tennis World Championships after members of its national team defeated challengers from South Korea, Denmark and Hong Kong en route to all-Chinese finals yesterday.
Top-ranked Wang Liqin and Olympic champion Ma Lin battled it out in a dramatic match, with Ma fanning himself with his paddle and Wang prancing beside the table before an enthusiastic crowd of more than 8,000 that included several high-ranking Communist Party dignitaries.
The first and second seeds were very closely matched - Wang has won 10 out his 19 encounters with Ma and he had the upper hand at first. Ma gained momentum in the second game as his controlled net play lured the lanky Wang into making errors that lost him two games.
Playing before a tumultuous hometown crowd, Wang came from behind in a fourth-game rally as Ma thrice put the ball into the net.
The two traded safe topspins in the fifth game, with neither player gaining a clear advantage, until at 7-6 Wang won a fast rally to move ahead. Wang persisted through a fast exchange of topspin rallies to win that game, and continued to use his height to advantage with killer attacks that put Ma off-balance, taking three in a row to win, 11-9, 3-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7.
Earlier in the day, Wang overpowered South Korea’s Oh Sang-eun, 11-7, 12-10, 11-2, 9-11, 11-6. Ma beat Michael Maze in straight sets 11-7, 11-6, 11-9, 11-8, putting an end to the Dane’s surprise ascent.
In the women’s doubles final, Olympic and defending world champions Wang Nan and Zhang Yining once again vanquished Guo Yue and Niu Jianfeng.
Wang and Zhang had a strong start, taking the first two games easily, but their teammates rallied to take the third, though the score was almost even throughout. The elder pair regained control in the fourth game and kept it through to the end, winning 11-4, 11-5, 10-12, 11-9, 11-5.
In the semifinals, Wang and Zhang toughed out a third set rally from Hong Kong pair Tie Yana and Zhang Rui to win, 11-9, 11-4, 9-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-6.
In the other semifinal Guo Yue and Niu effectively used a controlled topspin to counter Bai and Guo Yan’s more powerful shots to win 11-4, 12-10, 11-6, 11-9.
The Chinese team earlier had captured three of the five golds at the championships, with Kong Linghui and Wang Hao taking the men’s doubles gold and world No. 1 Zhang Yining claiming the women’s singles title. Wang Liqin and Guo Yue claimed the mixed doubles gold.
