Singapore joins title clash in Asian Games table tennis
3/12/2006 12:15
Singapore beat off a superb comeback from defending champion DPR Korea at
the women's table tennis team competition yesterday, winning 3-2 to set up a
championship clash against China in the Doha Asian Games.
Sun Bei Bei turned
out the biggest hero, coming from two sets down to win the deciding game against
DPR Korean Kim Jong, 7-11, 6- 11, 11-8, 11-8, 12-10.
The 22-year-old Sun had
clinched the first game against Kim Mi Yong with a score of 13-11, 7-11, 11-1,
11-7.
Singapore's top player Li Jia Wei, Olympic singles semifinalist in
2004, trounced Kim Jong 3-0 in the second game but lost to Kim Mi Yong in the
same score in the fourth game.
The third game went to DPR Korean Ko Un Gyong,
who beat Zhang Xue Ling 11-9, 11-6, 11-5.
Singapore's victory denied China a
finale rematch with DPR Korea, who beat China four years ago in Busan, South
Korea.
China romped into Sunday's final with a 3-0 win over South
Korea.
China and South Korea had met five straight times in the Asian Games
finals from 1974 to 1990.
Chinese veteran Wang Nan, who had been widely
criticized for her part in China's waterloo defeat in Busan, opened the match in
style as she beat arch-rival Kim Kyung Ah 11-8, 11-4, 12-10.
It was a sweet
victory for Wang, who had lost to the South Korean defensive player at the world
team championships in Doha two years ago.
Wang, a "grand slam" winner of
Olympics, world championships and World Cup, played nearly perfect first two
sets, but got a little hesitated in the third as she edged the rival 12-10 after
Kim saved six match points.
Guo Yue met a dangerous challenger in the form of
Park Mi Young, who played a consistent chop-and-attack game and lost the
five-set thriller 11-3, 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7.
World Cup holder Guo Yan
wrapped up China's tally by beating former Chinese national Kwak Bang Bang 11-6,
11-6, 9-11, 11-6.
On the men's side, South Korea outplayed Hong Kong of China
in straight games while world champion China trounced Chinese Taipei
3-0.
Cheung Yuk should have sent Hong Kong to a flying start, winning the
first set of the opening game against Oh Sang Eun and leading 2-1 after the
third set. But his momentum was just gone in the last two sets, losing the game
3-2 (9-11, 11-7, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9).
Leading 9-8 in the fifth set, Cheung
granted Oh a 9-9 tie with a mistake and then lost a rally to get himself 9-10
down before losing the decider.
Olympic champion Ryu Seung Min put South
Korea two up by beating Li Ching 3-2 (4-11, 13-11, 11-4, 4-11, 11-9) and Lee
Jung Woo crushed Leung Chu Yan 4-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8) in the third
game.
The China-Chinese Taipei fight saw four-time World Cup winner Ma Lin
oust Chuang Chih Yuan 3-1, Olympic singles silver medalist Wang Hao beat Wu Chih
Chi 3-0, and Chen Qi down Chiang Peng Lung 3- 0.
Sunday's final will be the
fourth straight championship clash between China and South Korea in the Asian
Games. China had won the previous encounters in 1994, 1998 and
2002.
Xinhua
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