Wang Takes Title at Qatar

By Bill McLaughlin - Cub Reporter, Table Tennis Dayton

Doha, QATAR - China's Wang Liqin continued his mastery of the table tennis world and Ma Lin in particular by defeating the world's #2 player 4-1 at the 2005 Liebherr Qatar Open.

Wang Liqin inside-out's a backhand out of the reach of a lunging Ma Lin.

The tall and lean Wang showed off his impressive set of skills to a relatively paltry audience as he wiped out some of the world's top players on his way to a showdown with his paddle-twirling teammate.

The first game was nip 'n' tuck with the players exchanging short points until Wang broke off for an 8-6 lead. However Ma tied it up at 8 all. Wang then took the next three points for the first game victory.

The second game had some early Ma fireworks as dynamic shots and rallies propelled him to a 7-0 lead before Wang woke up. And woke up he did as he fought back with kills, flips and counters and much to Ma's misery, the game was tied at 9-9. Another Ma miss made it game point Wang. Wang fired off what appeared to be a sure cross-court winner, but Ma reflexively shot back with a cross-court smash of his own, tieing the game 10 all. A down-the-line kill brought Wang to within 1 point of the game and an inside-out backhand did just that - 2-0 Wang.

Wang smashes a crosscourt winner past the hapless Ma

The third game started out the opposite of the second with Wang jumping out to a 5-0 lead before Ma got on board. Ma fought back but ended on the losing side of an 11-6 loss, and what appeared to be second place in the tournament.

However despite his dismay, Ma showed fighting spirit befitting his #2 World ranking, and the fourth game had him jump out to an early lead and get Wang to make some uncharacteristic errors. At 9-7, Ma served and won the point off an errant Wang shot which hit net and flew off the end of the table. With game point at hand, Ma went for the "hero" shot - an all-out smash which sent him spinning awry, but the shot screamed long. Moments later, a down-the-line forehand drive sealed his lone victory.

Game five found both players smashing and counter-driving with some net balls for good measure. At 9-10 down and serving, Ma called a time-out to try to rattle his fellow teammate. Ma waited a full 10 seconds prior to his serve to further the "sweat" tactic, but a loose ball had him chopping off the table, putting the Qatar trophy firmly into teammate and fellow countryman Wang Liqin's hands.

Final scores: 11-8, 12-10, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9.