‘Superb’ Liu Shiwen and Xu Xin win all-China 2016 Asian Cup Table Tennis finals

With Olympic qualification implications at stake Liu Shiwen and Xu Xin earned important Asian Cup titles on Saturday in Duabi at the continental tournament.

Liu Shiwen of China returns the ball against Li Xiaoxia in the 2016 Asian Cup Table Tennis final in Dubai on Saturday. Marwan Naamani / AFP / April 30, 2016

DUBAI // Li Xiaoxia was far from disappointed last night after missing another opportunity to win the elusive Table Tennis Asian Cup title and was instead looking forward to defending her Olympic title in Rio this summer.

Li – winner of the women’s singles gold at the London Olympics four years ago as well as the 2013 World Championship and 2010 Asian Games – was the clear crowd-favourite as she took on her Chinese compatriot and world No1 Liu Shiwen in the final of the Nakheel Asian Cup inside a packed Zabeel Hall at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

However, the partisan fans could not help the world No 5, who knocked out the defending champion Feng Tianwei in the semis, and she lost 1-4 (8-11, 9-11, 11-9, 12-14, 3-11).

In the men’s final, Xu Xin, the world No 3, defeated his Chinese compatriot and great rival, the 2012 Olympic champ Zhang Jike 4-2 (4-11,11-7,11-6,11-8,6-11,11-6).

“I am not really disappointed,” said Li, 28, who booked her ticket to the Rio Olympics through the Asian Qualification tournament in Hong Kong earlier this month.

“Shiwen played really well today, she was superb. I did not play great, but I don’t think I played badly. We played a really competitive match, but there can only be one winner.

“Anyway, now I am totally focused on the Olympics. I don’t know if I’m going to win the Asian Cup before I call time on my career. We don’t know, but hopefully I can stay healthy and keep playing for as long as possible.

“For the time being, though, I am just focused on defending my title at the Olympic Games.”

This was Liu’s fourth Asian Cup title – she had won in 2010, 2012 and 2013 as well – but the 25-year-old Chinese will have little time to celebrate as she has yet to qualify for the Rio Olympics and will be using open tournaments over the next three months to do that.

“Hopefully, I can earn the right to go to the Olympics in the coming weeks,” Liu said. “I came here determined to win this title, but there are still plenty of challenges ahead. Winning this title is not the end of my ambitions – as an athlete you have to keep setting new targets and keep improving until the day you decide to hang up your boots.”

Xu is also hoping to earn qualification for the Rio Olympics in the coming months, with all three singles spots on the Chinese men’s team still open.

“I am really happy to win the title here,” he said. “It’s a big milestone, but my biggest dream is to win the Olympics gold medal. It is going to be a really close battle for the qualifying spots, with the top four on the men’s ranking being Chinese. So it’s going to be intense.

“However, I am not going to worry about the final list. My concern is how I can improve myself as a player and stay devoted to my daily routine of practise.”

Earlier in the day, women’s defending champion Tianwei of Singapore proved too good for Tie Yana of Hong Kong in the play-off for the bronze medal, winning 11-7, 11-3, 11-4 11-6, while Hong Kong’s Wong Chung Tin clinched bronze in the men’s section with a battling 4-2 (11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-9) win over Singapore veteran, the 33-year-old Gao Ning.

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