China secured the men's singles title at the Asian table tennis
championships Sunday with both Ma Long and Wang Hao downing their
rivals in the semifinals.
The final will be an all-Chinese affair between world No. 6 Ma
and No. 2 Wang.
Ma made easy work of his encounter with Ko Lai Chak of Chinese
Hong Kong, winning 13-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7 despite Ko's
efforts to turn the table.
Wang Hao, who wore a red ribbon around the right leg to boost
his luck, also made it to the final after demolishing
seventh-ranked South Korean Oh Sang Eun 11-8, 11-7, 10-12, 11-6,
9-11, 11-6 in a hard-fought battle.
Wang appeared tired at first and was occasionally forced away
from the table and off balance by Oh's attaks. But he was later
cheered on by an excited home crowd of 3,000.
(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2007)