China women's table tennis stars enter the GAC Group 2013 World Tour Grand final

The women's world's number one Liu Shiwen and the world's number two Ding Ning won the semi-finals of the GAC Group 2013 World Tour Grand Final of the International Table tennis Federation (ITTF) here on Friday.

In the women's first semi-final in Dubai's Al Nasr Sports Club, left-handed Ding Ning defeated her compatriot Li Xiaoxia in a tight match 4-3.

"I think Li has not reached her optimal form yet so I had a small advantage," said 23-year old Ding.

Li Xiaoxia, who won gold at the 2012 Olympics in the women's single tournament, pulled out of the Women's World Cup in Japan before the start of the tournament after she got injured during the Chinese National Games.

Li said she did not feel determined enough against Ding. " Sometimes a small hesitance leads to a huge score disparity," Li said.

Liu Shiwen, 22, was victorious in 4-2 over 34-year-old Pavlovich Viktoria from Belarus, who is well-known for her strong defense game. Despite her defeat, Pavlovich said she was nevertheless thankful for this match because she had never won a set against Liu before.

"She is very strong, fast and a very good attacker. When she starts here powerful forehand attack, there are few options to turn the point," said Pavlovich. Liu was so strong that the Belarus player, who is ranked 17 in the world, looked in some phases of the match like a training partner, rather than an equal opponent.

In the quarter-finals, Liu Shiwen defeated South Korea's Jeon Jihee 4-1. Ding Ning made her way to the semi-final by beating in the quarter-finals the world's number four Feng Tianwei from Singapore 4-2.

The women's single final match between Liu Shiwen and Ding Ning will take place on Saturday.

The four-day tournament involves all best female and male players from the GAC Group 2013 World Tour, which comprised 19 events in 18 countries and regions during 2013.

A total prize money of one million dollars will be distributed to the women's and men's tournament, representing the highest total prize money in a table tennis tournament, according to the ITTF. The finals of the men's singles will take place on Sunday.