Guo/Liu triumph in all-Chinese final
(China Daily)
Updated: 2005-09-02 05:48

JEJU, South Korea: Teenager Liu Shiwen partnered with the singles world 7th-ranked Guo Yan to upset Olympic bronze medal-winning pair Guo Yue and Niu Jianfeng in an all-Chinese women's doubles final at the 17th Asian table tennis championships yesterday.

The 15-year-old Liu, who failed to make the quarter-finals of the singles event after being defeated 4-1 by Japanese favourite Fukuhara Ai on Wednesday, pulled down Hong Kong veterans Tie Yana and Zhang Rui in straight sets along with Guo Yan before reaching the final.

Liu and Guo took the final 11-9, 6-11, 11-8, 13-11, 4-11, 11-9.

On the men's side, Hong Kong doubles players Li Ching and Ko Lai Chak took the revenge by upsetting Chinese duo Wang Liqin, the world champion and the current singles men's world No 1 and Chen Qi, doubles Olympic gold medallist.

Wang and Chen lost to Hong Kong's Athens Olympic silver wining pair 7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 10-12, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8.

Earlier in the day, the mixed doubles final saw China's world champions Wang Liqin and Guo Yue eased past Hong Kong's Ko Lai Chak and Zhang Rui 4-0 to take the title.

In the men's singles event, second seed Wang Hao, 7th-ranked Chen Qi and 17-year-old sensation Ma Long, all from China, suffered early exits and failed to enter last 16.

The Olympic silver medallist Wang was nailed down by unseeded Japanese Mizutani Jun 4-2 at the third round, Chen was eliminated by South Korean Choi Hyun-jin 6-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-3, 12-10, 11-7, and Yoshida Kaii, a Chinese-born paddler now playing for Japan, saw off Ma 13-15, 10-12, 11-4, 12-10, 11-9, 14-12.

Taking the first set 11-8, the 22-year-old Wang Hao, tagged as one of the top players in the world, was given a difficult time at the second set before winning 14-12.

The little-known Mizutani did not give up with 2-0 down. He staged a strong comeback and took the following four sets 11-9, 11-9, 11-5, 11-9 to turn the table around.

Liu Guoliang, head coach of the Chinese men's team, owed these defeats to their poor mental power.

"It's unbelievable," said Liu.

"It's nothing to do with techniques, tactics or physical conditions. Wang Hao had no excuse," he said.

Liu said that the players were distracted by a busy schedule in the domestic league before leaving for Jeju, and their preparations for the biyearly tournament were poor.

The other two Chinese players, Wang Liqin and Hao Shuai, made it to the quarter-finals.

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