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Monday, October 29, 2007

10:26 AM

ITTF Pro Tour LIEBHERR Austrian Open - Gao Ning & Yang won GOLD FINALLY!!!

Singapore Gao Ning and Yang Zi, who have been so close to gold on so many occasions on the ITTF Pro Tour, went that vital one step higher at the Liebherr Austrian Open in Wels.They clinched the Men's Doubles title beating Ko Lai Chak and Li Ching, the winners seven days previously at the Eurosib Russian Open, in the final.Gao Ning and Yang Zi won 11-8, 11-8, 11-8, 14-12.One week earlier in St Petersburg Ko Lai Chak and Li Ching had tasted gold, one week later the taste was silver.

The final in Wels was the third time that the two pairs had faced each other on the ITTF Pro Tour and it was the first time that the Singaporeans had won.Both previous meetings were in 2007 when Ko Lai Chak and Li Ching won at the quarter-final stage at the Gorenje Slovenian Open and in the final at the Liebherr Chile Open. On neither occasion had they been extended the full distance. In Slovenia they won in five games, in Chile in six. It would seem the Singaporeans are improving all the time!

In Wels it was the eighth time that Gao Ning and Yang Zi have reached a Men's Doubles final on the ITTF Pro Tour since their first appearance in the gold medal contest just over a year ago in St Petersburg. On only one of the seven previous final appearances had they won; they succeeded in India in February 2007 but in 2006 had lost in Germany whilst in the current year they have had to settle for second place in Brazil, Chile, Korea and Chinese Taipei. At the Liebherr Austrian Open, the run of so near yet so far came to an end.

"We are very happy about our second gold medal in an ITTF Pro Tour tournament." said Yang Zi. The first time we managed to win was at the Indian Open this year but this is even better because we have beaten the Olympic Games silver medal winners.Ko Lai Chak and Li Ching are a formidable combination; they have no less than eleven ITTF Pro Tour Men's Doubles titles; only China Wang Liqin and Yan Sen have won more.

The last two times we played against them we lost? continued Yang Zi. e dominated the whole game; we had a lot of self confidence and were mentally strong. Confidence after defeats in six finals was perhaps the crucial factor, in Wels they put previous defeats to the backs of their minds, they believed in themselves and emerged as champions, the 2007 Liebherr Austrian Open Men's Doubles champions.

The results are as follows:

Men's Singles

1st - CHEN Qi (CHN)

2nd - HE Zhi Wen (ESP)

3rd - LI Ching (HKG)

STEGER Bastian (GER)

Women's Singles

1st - ZHANG Yining (CHN)
2nd - GUO Yan (CHN)
3rd - LI Jia Wei (SIN)
WANG Nan (CHN)

Men's Doubles

1st - GAO Ning / YANG Zi (SIN)
2nd - KO Lai Chak / LI Ching (HKG)
3rd - CHEN Qi / QIU Yike(HKG)
OLEJNIK Martin / VYBORNY Richard (CZE)

Women's Doubles

1st - FUKUHARA Ai / HIRANO Sayaka (JPN)
2nd - LIN Ling / TIE Yana (HKG)
3rd - LI Jia Wei / WANG Yue Gu (SIN)
GAO Jun / SHEN Yanfei (USA/ESP)