Guo Yue and Li Xiaoxia retain title in style
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Described by Shi Zhihao, the head coach of the Chinese national women team as the finest women doubles pairing in the world; Guo Yue and Li Xiaoxi endorsed that belief in the splendid settings of the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam on Sunday 15th May.
In the final of the women doubles event at the GAC GROUP 2011 World Table Tennis Championships, they posted a straight games win in a contest where the top seeds succeeded against the second seeds.
In an impressive manner, Guo Yue and Li Xiaoxia won 11-8, 11-5, 13-11, 11-8.
The first game went the way of the top seeds, a close affair with neither team settled; the success settled the nerves of Guo Yue and Li Xiaoxia, in the second game they raced away.
They won the first seven points and in fact reached the score line of 10-1 before Ding Ning and Guo Yan came back to life to win four points in a row.
However there was to be no miracle recovery, the next point went to Guo Yue and Li Xiaoxia; they were two games to nil ahead in quick-fire time.
Both Guo Yue and Li Xiaoxia experienced disappointments in the women singles event but in the women doubles final they were totally focused.
Outplayed in the first two games, they mounted a response in the third game; they went ahead 5-3 but Guo Yue and Li Xiaoxia levelled at 8-all but then lost the next two points.
They levelled and held game point at 11-10 and 12-11; converting on the second attempt to move into a three games to nil lead.The heavy topspin play of Li Xiaoxia and the fast forehand of Guo Yue were combining in perfect harmony.
Ding Ning and Guo Yan made every effort to force Guo Yue into playing a backhand, Guo Yue almost bent over backwards in her efforts to play forehands!
In the fourth game, matters were level at 6-all but then mistakes returning service by Guo Yan saw Guo Yue and Li Xiaoxia move ahead 8-6.
They progressed to 9-6 but Ding Ning and Guo Yan reduced the arrears to 9-8; Guo Yue and Li Xiaoxia decided it was time for thought and they called time out
It proved a good decision, they won the next two points, the title was retained.
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