Doubles team cap day of triumph for Singapore

Singapore's formidable table tennis players outserved, outsmashed and outfoxed their opponents in the Commonwealth Games on Tuesday, dominating the semi-final line-up and winning the mixed doubles.

Second seeds Yang Zi and Wang Yuegu beat compatriots and favourites Gao Ning and Feng Tianwei in straight sets.

The all-Singapore mixed doubles final followed an afternoon and early evening session in which the nation qualified for nine of the sixteen doubles and singles semi-finals on offer.

The two teams traded blows fairly evenly in the opening points until Yang and Wang took control, winning the first set 11-6, taking a more comfortable second set by the same score and wrapping up the match 11-7.

Wang paid tribute to her teammate, saying: ``Yang Zi played a crucial role in our match today. He was fantastic."

England's Paul Drinkhall and Joanna Parker, an off-the-court couple who live together in Rotherham, took the bronze - the nation's first ever Games medal in table tennis.

Feng, Singapore's sportswoman of the year and the world number two, fared better in the singles, unleashing her arsenal of delicate topspins, chops and forehand smashes to see off Malaysia's Beh Li Wei 4-1 for a place in the semis. Her compatriots Wang Yuegu, Yu Mengyu and Sun Bei Bei also scored comfortable victories, with Singapore taking all four semi-final places in the women's tournament.

The highlight of the day was a seven-set thriller between Sun and her doubles partner Li Jiawei, silver medallist in 2002 and 2006, with Sun taking the match 4-3.

The pair had barely stepped off court when they were required to play again - this time on the same side to beat doubles pairing Beh Lee Wei and Ng Sock Khim of Malaysia.

"We had a short rest of about 10 minutes and we went to play right away," Sun said.

"We were confident of our own standards as a doubles pair and by then Jiawei had already regained her composure."

Only four of the world's top 100 started out in the men's table tennis in Delhi and Singapore took advantage with two wins in the quarter-finals.

Top seed Gao Ning of Singapore saw off India's Amalraj Arputharaj 4-1 while third seed Yang Zi beat fifth seed Drinkhall 4-3. India shared the spoils, however, with an ecstatic home crowd cheering Soumyadeep Roy to a 4-1 victory over Singapore's Cai Xiaoli before Sharath Kamal Achanta beat Ma Liang, also from Singapore, 4-1.

"The game has changed a lot now," said Roy, who underwent knee surgery last year. ``It's all about stamina, fitness and power. I think I was good in all of these. In the women's doubles Zhenhua Vivian Tan and Peri Campbell-Innes of Australia beat New Zealanders Yang Sun and Jenny Hung 3-1 to set up a match against Singaporeans Feng and Wang in the other semi-final.

In the men's tournament, top seeds Sharath Achanta and Subhajit Saha of India came back from an opening set defeat to beat Nigerian pairing Seun Ajetunmobi and Quadri Aruna 3-1.

Second seeds Gao and Yang of Singapore, who had been made to work hard by the Welsh Jenkins brothers for their place in the quarters, found the going easier against the Indian pairing of Soumyadeep Roy and Amalraj Arputhararaj, winning 3-0. NEW DELHI, AFP