Li, Ding ensure all-Chinese final
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E-mail london 2012.com, July 31, 2012
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Ding Ning of China competes in quarter-final. |
It'll be an all-Chinese final in women's table tennis singles - as expected - between the two favorites Ding Ning and Li Xiaoxia.
Defending world champion Ding, who goes into today's final as the favorite, defeated Feng Tianwei of Singapore 4-2. Feng was born in China and emigrated to Singapore.
Li will be a decided underdog after defeating Kasumi Ishikawa of Japan 4-1. Ding has won six of 10 official matches against teammate Li, and defeated her in the final last year of the world championships. Ding has won six of their last seven matches.
Feng and Ishikawa will play for bronze, also today.
China has been dominant in table tennis, winning 20 of 24 gold medals since the sport was introduced in the 1988 Olympics. Four years ago it won all three medals in women's singles, prompting the sport's governing body to limit men's and women's singles entries this time to two per country.
Earlier in the day, Li defeated Li Jiao of Singapore 4-0, and Ding won over Ai Fukuhara of Japan 4-0. Ishikawa defeated Wang Yuegu of Singapore 4-1, and Feng beat Kim Kyun-gah of South Korea 4-2.
The 19-year-old Ishikawa was trying to make history in Japan, which has a strong tradition in table tennis but has yet to win an Olympic medal of any kind in the sport.
"I don't feel tremendous pressure," Ishikawa said.
"I feel very nervous, obviously. But I know that I don't have to win, so I am just enjoying it."
Japanese flags could be spotted around the venue at the ExCel center, making a cozy atmosphere in the 6,000-seat arena - a cavernous space by table tennis standards.
"The crowd support is fantastic and it's really given me a lot of strength," Ishikawa said. "Yeah, it's a bit like playing in Japan."
Ishikawa will begin to share popularity in Japan with Fukuhara, who is a superstar athlete back home. She played at 15 in the 2004 Olympics and was the flagbearer at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Fukuhara pushed Ding, losing 13-15 in the first game. Dispirited, she lost the next three 11-6, 11-6, 11-4.
"If I had won the first game, I'd have had a chance," she said. "She (Ding) is so strong."
Asked to compare the Chinese game to the rest, Fukuhara raised one hand above her head and lowered the other. "That's the difference" she said.
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