By N.D. Prashant
CHINA'S Ma Lin, after losing twice in succession in the 2005 and 2006 finals of the Liebherr Qatar Open, finally managed to get his hand to the coveted trophy taming defending champion and World No 1 Wang Liqin 11-9, 8-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9, 11-7 at Aspire yesterday.
The women's singles title was bagged by Li Xiaoxia of China. She prevailed over compatriot Wang Nan 4-3: 10-12, 11-1, 11-7, 9-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-3.
Liqin was in line for a hat-trick here facing the same rival once again. The third meeting thus guaranteed an action-packed clash and it indeed turned out to be a good one.
Lin was the first to seize the initiative. With some fine variations, Lin caught Liqin on the wrong foot several times and was soon up by a game. However, Liqin came up with a much improved performance in the second to be on level terms. The match thereafter gathered full momentum in the third as both players went all out.
Lin grunted at each point to boost his confidence and looked more purposeful in his approach. Though Lin took a 10-7 lead and called for a quick 'time out' at 10-9 to break Liqin's rhythm, a calm looking Liqin levelled things at 10-10.
However, with two back-to-back returns finding the net, Liqin was again forced to do the catching up.
Though high in morale, Lin was all at sea in the fourth game. He had no answer to Liqin's powerpacked drives and the score was again on level terms (2-2). Liqin's quick comeback however did not deter Lin's plans. Keeping a cool head, he shot into a 6-3 lead in the fifth. Despite Liqin's best efforts, he failed to stop the game from slipping out of his grasp.
Facing a must-win situation in the sixth game to stay alive in the match, Liqin started aggressively. Engaging Lin in some long rallies, Liqin stole a 5-3 lead with some effecting cross table drives. However, a slight lapse in concentration undid all his good work. His three returns in quick succession found the net. Once Liqin squandered those vital points, Lin went for the kill and emerged a winner.
"Twice I was in the finals and lost. I was hungry to win it somehow this time round. I was all for it and to my relief I emerged victorious. It would have been frustrating had I missed out here again. Breaking this jinx was very important for my future assignments," said an elated Lin after the match.
In the women's final, Xiaoxia was always going to be a favourite as she had a better record over her opponent. She defeated Nan in the quarter-final stage of the women's singles event at the Volkswagen Pro Tour Grand Finals in Hong Kong in December 2006.
However, the match turned out to be an intense contest and the action started from the first game itself. The tooth and nail rally ended in Nan's favour at 10-12. However, the second game was a total contrast to the first. Nan showed no resistance to Xiaoxia's top spin serves and she only managed a point in the entire game.
This was followed with another quick victory and now the onus was on Nan to deliver. She not only came back with a vengeance but also went on to take the lead. Heavily relying on some measured chops and swift returns, she bagged game four and five with ease.
However, Xiaoxia was simply at her best in the remaining two games. Nan looked a bit eager to finish things off and this saw her loose some quick points early on. Once Xiaoxia took some early points, she provided Nan very little chance to recover.
"It was very important for me to win here. I was all focused and motivated for the final. I am very happy to walk away with the title," said a visibly pleased Xiaoxia.
Results: Men's singles final: Ma Lin (CHN) bt Wang Liqin (CHN) 2-4: 9-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-6,9-11, 7-11.Men's doubles final: Cho Eon Rae (KOR)/Lee Jung Woo (KOR) bt Rosskopf Jörg (GER)/Suss Christian (GER) 3-4: 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-5, 5-11.
Women's singles final: Li Xiaoxia (CHN) bt Wang Nan (CHN) 4-3: 10-12, 11-1, 11-7, 9-11,5-11, 11-5, 11-3. Women's singles semifinals: Li Xiaoxia (CHN) bt Niu Jianfeng (CHN) 4-1: 13-11, 11-7, 3-11, 13-11, 11-6; Wang Nan (CHN) bt Guo Yan (CHN) 1-4: 7-11, 4-11, 14-12, 10-12, 9-11.
Women's doubles final: Li Xiaoxia (CHN) /Wang Nan (CHN) bt Tie Yana (HKG)/Zhang Rui HKG 3-4: 11-8, 9-11, 4-11, 11-8,11-7, 7-11, 10-12. |
