It was a near-Chinese sweep at the 47th World Table Tennis Championships as the powerhouse won all but one gold medal, with Wang Nan securing her third top slot in Paris yesterday by taking the women's doubles crown.
But Kong Linghui's failure means the men's singles crown - won by Austria's Werner Schleger who beat South Korean Joo Se-hyuk 11-9, 11-6, 6-11, 12-10, 8-11, 12-10 - eluded China.
Wang Nan and Zhang Yining beat compatriot Niu Jianfeng and Guo Yue 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 11-2, 14-12 as China added the women's doubles title to its earlier triumphs in the women's singles, the men's doubles and the mixed doubles.
Wang thus ended up with three gold medals, earlier winning the women's singles and the mixed doubles titles.
In the women's doubles semifinals, Wang and Zhang made light work of South Koreans Mi Suk-eun and Lee Eun-sil in four straight sets while Niu and Guo beat compatriots Li Jia and Li Ju.
Following the surprise losses of defending champion Wang Liqin and Ma Lin in the quarterfinals, 27-year-old Kong was the only Chinese remaining in the men's draw.
Facing sixth-seeded Schlager, who beat Wang Liqin in the quarterfinal, Kong failed to capitalize on his experience and lost the semifinal 3-4, with the Austrian drawing first blood by taking the first set, 11-9.
Though Kong, the eighth seed, pulled one back, winning the second set 11-7, Schlager went on a run, taking a 3-1 set lead.
The turning point came in the fifth set while Kong led 6-3. Kong called time-out as the Austrian chased to 6-5. Kong changed his strategy and diversified his serves to win the set 11-8.
Kong kept his momentum to lead 6-1, before taking the sixth set 11-7.
By the time the seventh and final set arrived, it seemed the Chinese had over-used his energy even as the Austrian regained his rhythm.
Schlager quickly took a 5-1 lead but Kong, using all his experience, stayed calm to level at 7-7. From then onwards it was a veritable ping-pong fest as the score ran 8-8, 9-9, 10-10, 11-11, 12-12...
After missing his only match point while leading 12-11, Kong's mistake helped Schlager to convert his third match point.
The Austrian advanced to the final by beating the 1995 world champion 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 14-12.
In the other semifinal, the unseeded South Korean Joo upset ninth seed Kalinikos Kreanga of Greece 11-5, 3-11, 11-7, 11-8, 12-10.
On Saturday, Wang Nan outlasted her Asian Games conqueror and doubles partner Zhang Yining in a gripping seven-setter, winning her third straight singles world title.
Wang, winner at Osaka in 2001 and Eindhoven in 1999, held off a late rally by top seed Zhang to win 11-7, 11-8, 11-4, 5-11, 6-11, 8-11, 11-5.
Although dethroned at the top of the world rankings by Zhang, who hadn't dropped a set in Paris all week, Wang used wide-angled shots to subdue her ambitious team-mate in the deciding set.
The 24-year-old Olympic champion paved the way for victory by beating top-ranked European Tamara Boros of Croatia in the morning's semifinal.
The singles gold medal came after Wang paired with Ma Lin to win the mixed doubles on Friday.
Wang shed tears of joy after the singles victory.
"I've been through too much and that's why I am so emotional," the Liaoning Province native said.
Wang had suffered Waterloo defeats in last October's Asian Games, where she conceded two matches in China's loss in the team final to South Korea and yielded the singles crown to Zhang.
"The loss in the Asiad last year was a great blow to me so that I even thought of retirement," she said.
"I want to thank those who have encouraged me to play on, thank them for their valuable support. I will go on playing and try to win the gold medal at next year's Olympic Games in Athens."
Olympic doubles winners Wang Liqin and Yan Sen won China's third gold on Saturday when they beat Kong and Wang Hao 4-2 in the all-Chinese men's doubles final.
(Eastday.com May 26, 2003)
