Top-ranked Zhang Yining of China outclassed her table tennis quarter-final opponent yesterday despite not being able to play with her normal paddle, one of three players on the team to advance to the semi-finals.
She beat Feng Tianwei of Singapore with a backup paddle after the umpire said Zhang’s usual one did not meet regulations.
The problem might have had something to do with the thickness of the sponge layer in the paddle, Zhang said. She blamed the thin margins in the score, 13-11, 12-14, 14-12, 12-10, 13-11, on her backup paddle, which she said was smaller and difficult to hit with.
PHOTO: AFP
Feng attacked fiercely throughout the match and had Zhang in the uncharacteristic position of playing on the defensive and making errors, such as hitting the ball out of bounds. High-speed rallies had spectators shouting “piaoliang” (beautiful) as the ball whipped across the table.
Zhang’s dominance stems in part from her stoicism during matches.
When she won the third game, the crowd roared and coach Shi Zhihao jumped out of his chair pumping his arms. But Zhang calmly put her paddle on the table and walked to the bench for a drink of water.
China’s Wang Nan defeated Hong Kong’s Tie Yana later yesterday, while Guo Yue beat Wu Xue of the Dominican Republic 4-0. Wu also made history by reaching the quarter-finals, the best result ever for a table tennis athlete from the tiny Caribbean nation.
Earlier in the day, Wang Chen of the US had clinched a spot in the quarter-finals — the country’s best showing ever — after defeating South Korea’s Kim Kyung-ah 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 10-12, 6-11, 11-9, 11-5. After the final point in that game, Wang fell to her knees and burst into tears.
But the 34-year-old Wang could not keep up with her quarter-final opponent, Singapore’s Li Jia Wei, who is seven years younger and ranked sixth in the world. Wang lost 15-13, 11-6, 12-10, 13-15, 11-4.
Previously, the best finish for the US was when Gao Jun reached the round of 32 in singles and doubles at the Athens Games.
In men’s singles, defending gold medalist Ryu Seung-min of South Korea was eliminated in the round of 32 after losing to Hong Kong’s Ko Lai Chak, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6, 4-11, 5-11, 12-10.
All three Chinese men — Wang Hao, Ma Lin and Wang Liqin — advanced into the round of 16, as did top threats Timo Boll of Germany and Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus.
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