Zheng saves face for China's tennis
(Xinhua)Updated: 2006-12-14 09:06
China's Zheng Jie silenced hundreds of noisy Indian fans by beating Sania Mirza in the Asian Games women's singles final on Wednesday, saving some face for an under- performing Chinese women's team.
 China's Zheng Jie watches her shot to India's Sania Mirza during their women's singles tennis final at the 15th Asian Games in Doha December 13, 2006. [Reuters]  |
Zheng Jie's gold came after the much-hyped Chinese women's tennis team suffered an early exit from the team event and lost its top singles and doubles seeds on Tuesday, enraging Chinese top tennis officials who called Asia's No. 1 Li Na and Olympic champions Li Ting/Sun Tiantian "irresponsible" and "unprofessional ".
Zheng subdued Mirza 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 in a clash lasting almost two hours.
"It was very difficult," said Zheng. "Everyone was supporting Sania, I just told myself to hang on."
Zheng and her partner Yan Zi, doubles champions in Australian Open and Wimbledon Open this year, will fight for the doubles crown with a Chinese Taipei pair.
Five hours after the singles loss, Mirza teamed up with Indian veteran Leander Paes to win the mixed doubles, beating Japan's Satoshi Iwabuchi/Akiko Morigami 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.
The 20-year-old Mirza didn't show a sign of fatigue, nor did the 33-year-old Paes, who went into the mixed doubles final with only an hour break.
Paes earlier combined with Mahesh Bhupathi to oustlast Thai twins Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat 5-7, 9-2, 6-3 in the men's doubles final.
Paes owed the back-to-back victories to the tough nerves and a supporting crowd.
Most of the DPR Korean delegation were on spectators' stands when Jong Myong Hui shut out two Japanese penalties and Ri Kum Suk, Ri Un Gyong, Ho Sun Hui and Jong Pok Sim all found the target.
In the bronze medal game, China routed South Korea 2-0 on Wang Kun's goals.
While the Chinese women's soccer team, former Olympic and World Cup runners-up, only showed a bit of their past glory in the Asian Games, the hard-working women's hockey squad were rewarded with a gold medal.
Ren Yi's diving deflection on a penalty corner in the 41st minute clinched China a 1-0 victory over Japan, which had beaten China 3-0 last week.
"The girls had trained very hard for the Asian Games, this gold medal is a reward for their effort," said China's South Korean head coach Kim Chang Back.
China also landed two rare golds in boxing as Zou Shiming outscored Suban Pannon of Thailand in the light flyweight to win the country's first Asiad boxing title in 16 years and Hu Qing doubled up by beating Munkh Uranchimeg of Mongolia in the lightweight.
The other four boxing golds went to the Philippines, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
China clean-swept the day's diving and fencing titles.
Olympic champion Wu Minxia led teammate He Zi to a 1-2 finish in the women's 3m springboard and He Chong and Luo Yutong added a gold and a silver to China's collection.
Chinese fencers crossed swords with South Koreans on two fronts, winning the men's team sabre final 45-44 and the women's team epee 43-36.
The other team who swept the board on Tuesday was the Iranian freestyle wrestling, who won the 60kg, 74kg and 96kg events.
Singapore enjoyed a gold binge on the sea, winning sailing's 420 men's race, 470 women's race and Beneteau 7.5 open event.
South Korea, Japan and Thailand each picked a sailing gold.
Thailand had its second gold of the day from sepaktakraw's men' s double event, with the women's double title going to Vietnam.
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