Olympic Champion Kong Struggles for Quarterfinals in ITTF Men's World Cup

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, November 02, 2002

Olympic Champion Kong Struggles for Quarterfinals in ITTF Men's World Cup

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Despite a staggering start andchronic shoulder injury, Olympic and world champion Kong Linghui came from behind to beat South Korean veteran Kim Teak-soo, securing his berth in the quarterfinals of the 2002 ITTF Men's World Cup on Friday in Jinan of east China's Shandong Province.

Coming to the event as the third wild carder from the hosts, Kong trailed Kim all the way before he made it even 3-3 by taking the sixth game 13-11 in a seesaw battle from 5-5 to 11-all.

In the decisive and final game, Kong again turned the table around, coming from 4-7 to 11-8, to place second in group B behind teammate Ma Lin.

The 27-year-old Kong said: "It was a thriller. My arms were trembling during the competition. My forehand shots, which were hampered by the painful right shoulder, forced me many mistakes. But my advantage is that I am five years younger than Kim.

"I snapped Kim's hope of advancing into the last eight. He saved energy from his loss to Ma Lin in the afternoon for an easy 0-4 finish," Kong said.

Kong will meet Oh Sang-eun, top player in group A in the quarterfinals on Saturday after Oh stunned world number one Wang Liqin 4-1 (11-8, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-7) but lost to Chuan Chin-Yuan of Chinese Taipei 3-4.

The newly-crowned Asian Games champion Wang said: "It is the first time in my career that I lost to Oh. He was very aggressive in the first three balls today."

Wang will meet German Timo Boll, who topped on the group C withthree straight victories while world No. 2 Ma Lin faces Croatian Zoran Purimorac after he kept winning streak in his three group matches, in the quarterfinal.

Purimorac, who earlier took his second victory over Werner Schlager of Austria 4-2 and was good enough for a berth in the quarterfinals, was edged by Greek Lalinikos Kreanga 3-4 in his last group match.

Schlager will play Chiang Peng-Lung of Chinese Taipei, who finished second in the group behind Boll after dispatching Jean-Michel Saive of Belgium 4-1, in the last eight.

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