China breeze into finals in table tennis year-end tourney

China is to defend their titles in the US$100,000 international table tennis invitational tournament as their women whitewashed Japan 3-0 and the men beat Hong Kong, China, 3-1 in south China's Guangzhou on December 18.

The women hosts, making the year-end tourney a chance for the youngsters, sent Olympic champion Zhang Yining, ITTF Pro Tour Finals winner Guo Yue and a "young veteran" Guo Yan to the game against lowly Japan.

Zhang Yining, currently world number one, was given a scare when facing Fukuhara Ai, dropping a set in the opening game before she won 3-11, 11-3, 13-11, 11-9.

Guo Yue, tipped to be a title hopeful in the 2008 Olympic Games, gave no chance to her rival, blanking Fujii Hiroko 11-5, 11-8, 11-3.

Guo Yan then sealed the berth with a 11-3, 14-12, 9-11, 11-3 victory over Fukuoka Haruna.

Upset by the 16-year-old Fukuhara in the first set, Zhang Yining admitted that she was made uncomfortable with the teenager's backhand return at the very beginning.

"Her strokes with the backhand side were not only fast but somehow strange, that made me felt uncomfortable," said the 22-year-old native Beijinger, who proved herself a new generation of the China's table tennis again with the World Cup crown last October in Huangzhou.

Qiao Hong, coach of Chinese women's national team, raised her thumbs to the doll-faced Japanese, saying that she performed very well, especially considering it was the Olympic champion who stand by the other end of the table.

The Chinese women will take on the team Hong Kong, China in Sunday's finals after Tie Yana, Zhang Rui and Lau Sui Fei had rallied past South Korea in full five games.

Hou Yingchao, ranked 42 in the world, cost the Chinese men's team a match as he was beaten 11-5, 15-13, 11-3 by Olympic doubles silver medalist Ko Lai Chak, and Liu Guo Zheng made up for him by winning the fourth match 11-9, 11-9, 11-3 over Cheung Yuk.

Former world number one Wang Liqin opened the men's assault with a 3-2 (7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7) narrow pass and Liu Guozheng continued China's winning run against Hong Kong, China, by 3-0 (15-13, 11-6, 11-7) over Li Ching.

They will face in the finals the South Korean team, who sent here the top three Koreans of Olympic champion Ryu Seung Min, the runner-up in Paris world championships Joo Se Hyuk and one of the tallest Asian paddlers Oh Sang Eun. The South Korea eased past Japan 3-0, 3-0, 3-1 in Saturday's team showdown.

Source: Xinhua