Wang Hao makes it to the finals: 2011 GAC GROUP World Table Tennis Championship
The 2011 GAC GROUP World Table Tennis Championships has reached its final conclusive rounds. Only one title is reaming to be decided the Men's Singles title. The first semi-final of the championship was played on May 15, at the Ahoy Arena Rotterdam, Netherlands. Wang Hao and Ma Long from China faced each other in the semi-final today.
Wang Hao won the Volkswagen Cup earlier this year against Timo Boll from Germany. Both the players remained head-to-head since the start of the match. Wang and Ma Long both are aware of each other’s style so it was pretty hard for them to get advantage on one another. They have been playing together at the China National Table Tennis Academy.
Wang Hao started off well and won the first game, but Ma Long won the next two games. It was Wang who won the fourth game and levelled the matters with Long. The fifth game was won by Wang Hao.
In the sixth game both the players remained head-to-head as none of the two wanted to give up, but Wang Hao sealed the match. He won the sixth game and is the first player to reach the ultimate final round, where he will be facing either Zhang Jike or Timo Boll. Wang will be hoping for a repeat episode with Timo Boll.
The final match score of six games was 11-7, 9-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-7 and 11-9.
It is always difficult for any player in the world to play against the great Chinese player, Wang Hao.
In the quarter-finals Wang Hao defeated Jun Mizutani from Japan in straight four games with a score-line of 11-5, 11-7, 11-5 and 11-6. Jun and Timo Boll were the only two non-Chinese players to reach the fourth round of the Men's Singles of the championship. Only Timo Boll managed to earn a place at the semi-finals.
Ma Long won over Ma Lin at the quarter-finals with a match score of 11-5, 11-9, 11-4, 4-11 and 11-7.
The finals of the Men's Singles will be played today at the Ahoy Arena. The Chinese are looking forward for another clean sweep, as all the other medals of the championship are already been won by the Chinese.
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