Wang Hao, Zhang Yining win singles gold at table tennis worlds

YOKOHAMA, Japan, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Wang Hao didn't "choke" this time as he ruined Wang Liqin's run for his fourth, or third straight, men's singles gold medal at the world table tennis championships here on Tuesday.

China'sWangHaokissesthetrophyintheawarding
ceremonyafterwinningoverhiscompatriotWang
Liqininthemen'ssinglesfinalmatchagainstat
theWorldTableTennisChampionshipsinYokohama,
Japan,onMay5,2009.WangHaowonthetitleafter
beatWangLiqin4-0inthefinal.(Xinhua/Ren
Zhenglai)

Twice Olympic champion Zhang Yining came back from two sets down to beat defending champion Guo Yue for the women's singles top honor.

China swept all the gold and silver medals in the eight-day championships, leaving only three bronzes to be split up by the Hong Kong team, South Korea and host Japan.

It was China's fourth, or third straight clean-sweep of the world championship golds. The overwhelming success made Chinese table tennis boss more worried than joyous.

"I am concerned about the future of table tennis," said Cai Zhenhua, chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA). "I hope not only does China enjoy table tennis, but also the whole world."

Wang Hao wins mens singles gold at table tennis worlds

YOKOHAMA, Japan, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Wang Hao beat his teammate Wang Liqin 11-9, 13-11, 11-5, 11-9 to win the men's singles event at the world table tennis championships here on Tuesday.

The top-seeded Wang Hao, twice runner-up at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, dashed Wang Liqin's dream to win his fourth, or third straight singles gold at the world championships.

Wang Liqin, whose victims included China's Olympic singles gold medallist Ma Lin, withered after losing the first two sets with the narrowest margin.

Ma Lin and Ma Long, both from China, picked bronze medals.

The Chinese national team claimed 17 medals out of 20 at the Yokohama worlds, while the Hong Kong team, South Korea and host Japan each took one.

Medal winners at table tennis worlds

Following are the medal winners at the world table tennis championships which ended In Yokohama on Tuesday:

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Tennis legends set for China stop

Eight former tennis greats will visit Chengdu, capital city of southwestern China's Sichuan Province, later this year.

Chengdu will welcome Grand Slam champions, including John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and Michael Chang, in early November. They will take part in the inaugural Chengdu Open during their stay.

The event will mark Borg's first playing appearance in China in 30 years, and their visit will be a boost to Chengdu as it continues its recovery from last year's devastating earthquake.

Bjorn Borg, 11-time Grand Slam Champion,said, "I'm very delighted to come back to China. It's always nice to come to different countries and come to new countries. I'm looking forward to that. This time, I will be visiting Chengdu. I've never been there, so I'm looking forward to that. Home of the giant panda, so that will be of great interest to me to enjoy and to have time to see the giant panda."

Spanish Robredo beat Safin in Tennis Rome

In tennis, Spanish 13th-seed Tommy Robredo staged a brave comeback at the rain-disrupted Rome Masters on Tuesday. He charged into the second round by beating Marat Safin 2-6, 7-6, 6-2.

Spain'sTommyRobredoreturnstheballtoRussia'sMaratSafin
duringtheItalianRomeMasterstennistournamentinRome,
Tuesday,April28,2009.(APPhoto/FeliceCalabro')

Former world number one Safin kept his focus despite the rain. He led 6-2 in the first set, but then began to make more mistakes as the match wore on.

Robredo leads the tour with 17 wins on clay this year, and he began to dominate this matchup in the second set, rallying for a 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 victory. He will face Philipp Kohlschreiber in round two.

Russia'sMaratSafinreturnstheballtoSpain'sTommyRobredo
duringtheItalianRomeMasterstennistournamentinRome,
Tuesday,April28,2009.(APPhoto/FeliceCalabro')

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