China sweeps in table tennis world championships

China's Wang Nan (L) and Zhang Yining celebrate with the women's doubles winners trophy at the world table tennis championships in Zagreb May 27, 2007. [Xinhua]

Wang Liqin shut the last non-Chinese out of the world table tennis championships on Sunday, ensuring China's clean sweep of gold and silver medals for the third time.

The defending champion played a smart game to outlast South Korean Olympic champion Ryu Seung Min 6-11, 11-3, 11-7, 14-16, 11-6, 10-12, 11-7, joining teammate Ma Lin in the final.

China has won the men's doubles, mixed doubles and women's singles, and made the women's doubles a Chinese affair. It is the fifth time for China to clean sweep the individual golds and for the third time, after the 1981 and 2001 championships, to walk way with all the golds and silvers.

In the deciding seventh set, Wang forced the South Korean to make mistakes by pressuring on his backhand and hitting open space on his forehand side. Ryu had driven into the net four times, before Wang jumped to a 8-4 lead and then ran away 10-7. A backhand service return too long made the lanky Shanghaiese the third singles world champion. Ryu opened brilliantly with a 4-0 lead as Wang looked hesitant. The Chinese had closed it to 4-6 but Ryu cashed in on a series of errors by the opponent to face the set point, which was lost by Wang who sent a forehand drive too long.

Taking head coach Liu Guoliang's advice, Wang frequently returned to Ryu's righthand open space. The tactics went well and Wang took the second set 11-3.

Wang changed his tactics in the third set as he kept pressure on Ryu's backhand. This set was 11-7 in favor of the 2001 and 2005 world champion.

Ryu overcame Wang's 4-1 lead to move ahead 9-7 in the fourth set.Wang made it nine-all before the game moved on like a seasaw game.

At 14-14, Wang sent a topspin strike to the net and then served into the net to concede the set.

Then Ryu's topspin play went wrong. He drove the ball into the net seven times to lose the fifth set 11-6.

The sixth set was Wang's turn to make mistakes. He sent returns to the net as many as Ryu did in the previous set, losing by two points to face the deciding set.

Earlier, Ma Lin ousted fellow Chinese Wang Hao 6-11, 11-9, 12-10, 4-11, 11-9, 11-6 in the first semifinal.

In last world championship final in 2005, Wang Liqin downed Ma Lin, who had finished runner-up to Liu Guoliang in the 1999 final.

Wang Liqin shut the last non-Chinese out of the world table tennis championships on Sunday, ensuring China's clean sweep of gold and silver medals for the third time.