China defeated South Korea 3-0 to take the women's table tennis
team title at the Magdeburg World Team Cup yesterday.
World champion Zhang Yining edged over Park Mi Young, Guo Yue
beat Lee Eun Hee before Guo Yue and Li Xiaoxia sealed the victory
by overwhelming Korean pair Kim Kyung Ah and Park Mi Young.
Boasting the top three players in the world and world number
five in the team, China is the undisputable top seed in the
tournament.
The only trouble China met was in the first singles.
Zhang Yining, who ranks number one in the world, encountered
stone-wall defense from Park Mi Young, merely managing a 3-2 narrow
victory.
After wining 11-5 in the first game, Zhang lost two games in a
row against Park, whose chop play made Zhang commit mistakes
repeatedly.
In the key fourth game, Park was on the edge of the victory with
a 10-9 lead, but lost in vain as the world champion suddenly turned
all the more aggressive and leveled the match with a 12-10
victory.
Feeling frustrated, Park lost morale in the last game, leaving
the field with a score of 2-11.
"I felt a little bit tired because I had played four major
tournaments prior to the Magdeburg World Cup, so I had some
troubles in my morale and rhythm," Zhang explained after the
match.
"I was good in the first game, but in the middle I was not
steady," she said.
The 26-year-old veteran also revealed that she had not played
with chop players for several months, so she was not used to Park's
style.
Park told Xinhua that she did her best in the duel with Zhang
Yining.
"I was nervous in the last game and I made numerous mistakes,"
she added.
Guo Yue, who overwhelmed Lee Eun Hee 3-0, was awarded the best
player of the match.
(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2007)