World top two women paddlers meet in China Open final

Top-ranked Liu Shiwen and world No. 2 Ding Ning unsurprisingly booked a final clash in the ITTF World Tour China Open women's singles event here on Sunday.

Liu beat Yang Haeun of South Korea 11-7, 11-2, 11-8, 11-3, while Ding eliminated teammate Chen Meng in the other semifinal 10-12, 11-3, 11-8, 11-5, 11-5.

Earlier, Liu survived seven-game thrilling battles against Marina Matsuzawa of Japan and Zeng Jian of Singapore.

"After two days, I was more familiar with the atmosphere here. My speed and momentum also has improved a lot," said the world No. 1 paddler.

Yang outclassed defending champion Zhu Yuling 4-3 a day earlier. "My speed and offense overwhelmed the opponent. In the matchup against Zhu, she showed her ability to keep up the pace," said Liu.

"I still made preparation for another seven games. When I woke up, I felt that I'm almost dead," Liu joked, referring to her fatigue.

"But when I was standing on the court, I managed to find my momentum as soon as possible," she added.

The final will be a repeat of the 2015 World Championship gold-medal match, where Ding overcame an ankle injury to beat Liu after seven games.

Ding completed a sweep of major titles with the Olympic victory in Rio after upsetting compatriot Li Xiaoxia 4-3 in the final.

"I will not think too much about the result. Hoping that I can do everything well," Liu said of her next match against Ding. Endit