Two men's Grand Slam winners Ma Long and Zhang Jike booked an eye-catching semifinal matchup after getting past Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus and Ho Kwan Kit of Hong Kong, China respectively in the ITTF World Tour China Open here on Saturday.
However, the two Chinese stars took on totally different winning paths. Ma beat 40-year-old Samsonov, who finished fourth at Rio Olympic Games, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8.
"We played to ourselves. We both had some adjustments after the Olympics. He came here from Europe, maybe he was a little unfamiliar with this table, also facing the jet leg," said Ma.
Zhang resisted the challenge from under-21 titleholder Ho to win at 11-9, 8-11, 11-4, 13-11, 7-11, 3-11, 11-3.
"He has showed much potential. We once played in the same club, so he was quite familiar with my style. Playing three matches today, I was physically affected, especially being dragged into the decisive game after leading 3-1 due to lack of concentration," said Zhang.
"Hoping that both of us can put on a show for these enthusiastic crowds," Ma talked about Sunday's semifinal between the two Olympic singles gold medallists.
Penholder Xu Xin failed to secure the men's singles champion for the Chinese team after losing to Wong Chun Ting of Hong Kong, China 4-3. Wong will meet world No. 2 Fan Zhendong, who beat Zhou Yu 4-2 in an all-Chinese quarterfinal.
"We face four or five times each year. I sort of lost my patience on the court, especially owning a big lead in two games," said Xu.
Top-ranked paddler Liu Shiwen avoided an early exit from the tournament after edging past Zeng Jian of Singapore in the women's singles quarterfinals 4-3.
"Now I need an ambulance," Liu joked in the mixed zone, after winning at 10-12, 6-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5.
"Physically, I was not 100 percent. I planned to dominate the match from the start, but unfortunately, I found that I was not totally fit for the game," she said.
Liu's next opponent will be Yang Haeun of South Korea, who eliminated defending champion Zhu Yuling of China through a seven-game thriller.
"I cannot think too much about winning or losing against Liu. I need to focus on fighting for every point," commented Yang.
The other women's semifinal will feature Ding Ning and Chen Meng, both of China, who beat Shan Xiaona of Germany and Jiang Huajun of Hong Kong, China respectively.
"I've achieved what I planned before the game, and will spare no efforts in tomorrow's match against Chen," said the newly crowned Olympic singles champion Ding.
China has secured the men's and women's doubles titles at the tournament as both finals will be all-Chinese affairs. After winning the semifinal clash against Japanese duo Koki Niwa and Yuya Oshima 11-9, 11-8, 11-9, Olympic champion pairing Ma Long and Zhang Jike will face Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin, who came back from one game down to eliminate Ho Kwan Kit and Wong Chun Ting of Hong Kong, China 6-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-5.
"I haven't partnered with Ma for a while. We meet much tougher opponents today, so we've got to be better," said Zhang.
Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen, who helped the Chinese team win third consecutive gold medal as partners, will feature in women's doubles finals against another Chinese pairing Chen Meng and Zhu Yuling.
