Sunday, December 14, 2008
9:12 PM
ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals - Top Seeds Justify Position!
Our paddlers finished the season in style after lifting both the women's and men's doubles titles. It is the first time our paddlers struck gold in the competition since it began in 1996.
Top-seeds Li Jiawei and Sun Beibei scorched South Koreans Kim Kyung Ah and Park Mi Young 4-1 in the women's final, before compatriots Gao Ning and Yang Zi gave cause for a double celebration.

The top-seeds defeated Taiwan's Chuang Chih-yuan and Wu Chih-chi 4-2.

For Li and Sun, their win yesterday was especially sweet as it was their first over their nemeses Kim and Park. Li and Sun took the first game 11-5. But the Koreans’ deadly defensive back spins caused our paddlers many problems in the second game, taking it 11-6. The Koreans were leading in the third game before Li and Sun rallied to take the game, 11-9. They closed out the finals matches 11-8, 11-4.

It was a slightly tougher affair for Gao Ning and Yang Zi. They marched through the first game, trampling over Chuang and Wu 11-2. But the Taiwanese pair came back strongly to take the next game 11-9. They took the lead in a hard-fought third game, winning 17-15, but they fell flat in the fourth game and could only watch Gao and Yang level the tie with a 11-1 victory. They then finished the remaining games 14-12 and 11-7 to take the final 4-2.

Li and Gao said that the absence of the Chinese pairs should not take the gloss off their victories.

Li mentioned that the Chinese players are definitely their main rivals, but it was not easy for them to win this title and that they had to play very well to do so.

Gao added that those who qualified for this tournament are of a certain standard. They still had to go all out to win.




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