China’s Liu Shiwen and Ma Long snuffed out the last of the European challenge yesterday to make the table tennis World Championships an all-Asian affair.
The 18-year-old Liu, who upset her compatriot and world No. 4 Guo Yan on Saturday, brushed aside Iveta Vacenovska of the Czech Republic 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-5, 17-15 in the women’s singles quarter-finals.
“It’s the same for everybody that she wants to win. I’m also eager to win. I’ve lost so many matches before and those losses made me stronger,” Liu said.
PHOTO: AP
The 20-year-old Ma, who won the Grand Finals in December last year, powered his way through to a 12-10, 13-11, 11-7, 11-9 victory over Michael Maze of Denmark in the men’s singles quarter-finals.
“It was a tough match. My opponent played aggressively, which forced me to play defensively,” Ma said. “I wanted to play more offensively from the start.”
Mighty China also booked semi-final places through men’s world No. 1 Wang Hao and 2007 women’s world silver medalist Li Xiaoxia.
Wang set up a semi-final meeting against Ma Long when he whipped Kaii Yoshida of Japan 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 11-3, 11-4.
“He [Yoshida] knows my play style very well, so I tried to read the course of his shots. When your opponent knows your game very well, it’s difficult to cope with,” Wang said.
Li was an 11-9, 11-4, 2-11, 11-9, 11-6 winner over Dang Ye-seo of South Korea.
“It was tough in the first two games, but I finally got into my rhythm in the fourth game. I’m satisfied with my performance today. I just want to keep playing my normal game,” Li said.
Earlier in the day, China took the mixed doubles title for a 10th straight time and 17th overall when Li Ping and Cao Zhen defeated Zhang Jike and Mu Zi 11-6, 4-11, 11-7, 9-11, 13-11, 11-8 in an all-Chinese final.
“It was a difficult match. We didn’t know whether we would be able to become the world champions until the end. It was important to believe in each other and never give up,” Cao said, teaming up with Li Ping for the first time.
“It’s exciting to become the world champions. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the singles, doubles or mixed doubles. I’m quite happy with the results,” Li Ping said.
The 2025 International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Mr Universe Chinese Taipei competition began yesterday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, with more than 150 athletes showcasing their physiques. It is the first time in 16 years that the IFBB has held a competition in Taiwan, the last being the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung. The professional bodybuilding contest is bringing together athletes from Taiwan and 16 other countries, including Malaysia, Japan, the US, France and Mexico. IFBB Chinese Taipei president Hsu An-chin said in an interview yesterday that the event came to Taiwan thanks to his lobbying efforts at last
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Cycling great Marianne Vos won the opening stage of the women’s Tour de France with a brilliant late attack on Saturday. The 38-year-old Dutchwoman overtook her Visma–Lease a Bike teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prevot approaching the line, and then held off Mauritian rider Kim Le Court in the closing meters of a grueling uphill finish. Ferrand-Prevot looked set to win the stage, but the Frenchwoman attacked too early from 600m and could not withstand the late surge from Vos, who punched the air with her left fist as she crossed the line. Moments later, Vos hugged an exhausted-looking Ferrand-Prevot, the Paris-Roubaix winner. “I didn’t know if
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
RSS