FTW beats World Lumber 2 to clinch spot in semis

[Apollo]

Monday September 8, 2008 Table Tennis: Tianwei serves up a stunner By LIM TEIK HUAT

KUALA LUMPUR: Singapore's Feng Tianwei (pic) shocked the Chinese camp when she bundled out reigning world champion Guo Yue to advance to the semi-finals of the Volkswagen World Cup women's table tennis tournament at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium last night.

 

The 22-year-old put up an impressive attacking display to beat the Beijing Olympics bronze medallist and world number two 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9 in 43 minutes to earn her first World Cup semi-finals appearance.

 

Top seeded Guo Yue, spearheading the Chinese challenge in the absence of injured Olympic champion Zhang Yining, had cruised into the quarter-finals as the Group A winner. She beat Yang Fen of Congo 11-3, 11-5, 12-10, 11-3 for her third consecutive win.

 

Tianwei had qualified second from Group B behind world number three Li Xiaoxia of China after beating Li Jiao of Holland 13-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-5 in her final group match earlier.

 

But it was Tianwei who turned the tables on Guo Yue for the first time in four meetings.

 

China-born Tianwei is ranked ninth in the world and was given Singapore citizenship in January in time to help her adopted country bag a silver in the Olympics team event last month.

 

Guo Yue's exit meant that it would only be the second time that the final will not be an all-China affair.

 

Tianwei will play against world No. 10 Tie Yana of Hong Kong today for a place in the final. Yana, also a former China national player, earned her place in the semi-finals with a hard-fought 11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-8, 17-19, 11-7 win over South Korea's Kim Kyung-ah.

 

The other semi-final will be between another Singaporean, Wang Yue Gue, and Xiaoxia.

 

The spiky-haired Tianwei now has a shot at collecting the winner's cheque of US$44,000 if she maintains her fine form but she never expected her fortune.