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China Closer to Clean Sweep in Table Tennis Worlds
China stands well apart from the rest of the world as they secured themselves gold medals in six of the seven events at the 46th World Table Tennis Championships on Saturday.
Chinese table tennis chief Li Furong congratulated on the Chinese team's "clean sweep" Saturday afternoon even though a Japanese pair remain in the women's doubles semifinals.
"Li shook hands with me and congratulated on our inevitable sweep of all seven titles," said Chinese deputy head coach Lu Yuansheng.
In the men's and women's semi-finals the only non-Chinese players from each event were sent packing.
Japanese duo Akiko Takeda and Mayu Kawagoe, the only non- Chinese in the women's doubles semifinals, are the last hope to prevent a repeat of China's clean sweep.
China has won all the world championships titles twice -- in 1981 and 1995.
The Chinese also swept board in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games.
Already men's and women's team champion, China took the mixed doubles event on Friday while the men's doubles, later Saturday, are also between two Chinese pairs.
In the men's semi-finals Saturday world number one Wang Liqin disposed of Chinese Taipei's Chiang Peng-lung 3-0 and will face teammate Kong Linghui in the final on Sunday.
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