Chinese young guns prove potential with glittering show
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-03-29 11:02

Young Chinese players ruled the 2003 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Pro Tour Grand Finals at the Tianhe Gymnasium in Guangzhou as they swept all four titles Sunday, March 28, 2004.

World No 4 Niu Jianfeng hit double golds in the women's singles and doubles, Wang Hao claimed the men's singles, and Ma Lin and Chen Qi took the men's doubles.

"We have gained a lot at this event and our young players showed their power to the world," said Cai Zhenhua, head coach of the Chinese national team.

Asian champion Wang proved he was the leader of the new generation after a seven-set thriller against his compatriot Hao Shuai.

"I was more confident and aggressive than before," said Wang, who finally bounced back after several big defeats at the World Championships and the World Cup this year.

"I was not in good form before this event, so I was ready for a hard battle," he said.

"Now I have proved that I have the ability to claim grand slams like Liu Guoliang," Wang said.

Although he finished with the silver, newcomer Hao was happy with the results.

"I was so lucky to reach the final. I had never thought of that," he said.

Young guns Chen Qi, Wang Hao and Hao Shuai had to shoulder the task to fight for the men's singles title after world No 1 Ma Lin and world champion Wang Liqin suffered an early first-round exit. Wang overcame Chen Qi 4-3 and Jens Lundquist of Sweden 4-1 to meet Hao, who beat Chuan Chi-yuan of Chinese Taipei 4-0 and Ryu Seung-min of South Korea 4-1 to reach his first final at this high-profile event.

Niu Jianfeng took her first women's singles title at the event. She also paired with Guo Yue to pick up four Pro Tour titles this year and then the final championship.

"This good performance by these young guns will create a lot of pressure on our opponents and now it is more difficult to beat China because we have more players of various styles," said the head coach.

But Cai was dissatisfied with the performance of world top players like Ma Lin, Wang Liqin and Wang Nan.

"I hope the failure at this event will help them improve their skills and mental work, and most importantly ,will serve as a lesson."

In Saturday's all-Chinese women's singles final, Niu Jianfeng upset the World No 1 and defending champion Zhang Yining 4-3.

Zhang romped past the world and Olympic champion Wang Nan 4-0 in the semi-final. Fresh Chinese men's pair Ma Lin and Chen Qi powered past Cheung Yuk and Leung Chu Yan of Hong Kong 4-0 to claim the title.

Turning point

The singles title at the Grand Finals was an important victory for 22-year-old Niu Jianfeng, who has won many Pro Tour tournaments since 1997 but never claimed the crown at such a big event.

"I never thought I would take the title. This victory is very important to me and it's the turning point in my sports career," said the world No 4, who had never beat the world No 1 Zhang Yining before.

"This title will greatly boost my confidence and I will try to win the singles title at the other big events," she said.

But Niu confessed that she was not as good as world champion Zhang Yining both in skills and tactics.

"There is still a gap between Zhang's skill level and mine, but now I have a chance to beat her," she said.

"My goal is to take the singles title at the next Women's World Cup in Hong Kong."

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