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World number one Zhang Yining lifted her third trophy of the table tennis ProTour Grand Finals after overwhelming former teammate Li Jia Wei of Singapore 4-0.
The 23-year-old Beijing native, who has completed a "grand slam" sweep this summer after winning the world championship in Shanghai, proved herself the better one playing consistenttopspinwith winning over the arch-attacking game 11-9, 12-10, 11-8, 11-9.
"It has been processing and resulted in a much easier way than I expected," said Zhang, who had to enter the 240,000 US dollars event with awildcardafter playing less than enough games in this season's professional tour.
The final of women's singles event has beenunderlinedas a match played between two players who learnt to play table tennis together.
Li Jia Wei, just one year elder than Zhang, started to play table tennis in Beijing before moving to Singapore at an age of 14.
"She's long been a good player. Her forehand play is one of the best in the world," commented Zhang Yining while saying Li and she have known each other since their kindergarden-hood.
But Zhang simply proved herself the best women player in the world with consistent, positive and tacticallyastute.
Trailing 5-2 after opening the match, Zhang fought a desperate beating back, lost none of the counterattacks to level the points on 7-7 and never looked back.
The last seconds scare came in the fourth set when Li claimed three points in a row to tie 7-7 and againwrote offanother 2 points lead of Zhang, but the top-rated Chinese paddler fared powerful topspin again to force a forehand play from Li played under the net before winning it 11-9.
Zhang's victory has been the sole one for China in this year's ITTF season-ending event after all fellow Chinese lost their elimination matches on Saturday.
Guo Yue and Guo Yan have come out Saturday the first Chinese ousted from the finals after the newly fixed pair were beaten 4-2 in the women's doubles first round by Chinese-born Gao Jun and Shen Yanfei, who play for the United States and Spain respectively.
Teenage upstart Ma Long then became the last Chinese sacrifice in the Tour finale after losing his quarter-final encounter with in-form South Korean Oh Sang Eun, losing 11-7, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8, 11-9.
Earlier on Saturday, Oh, 28, had paired up with compatriot Lee Jung Woo Saturday afternoon to show exit to Chinese pair Wang Liqin and Chen Qi, the reigning Asian champions who partnered with each other for less than four months.
(Xinhua)
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Updated: 2005-12-12 10:25
