Table Tennis: Zhang wins to set up all-Chinese final

2 Aug 2012, 9:10 pm   -   Source: Reuters
China's Zhang Jike hits a return to Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov in their men's singles semifinals table tennis match at the ExCel venue during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 2, 2012. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor

China's Zhang Jike hits a return to Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov in their men's singles semifinals table tennis match at the ExCel venue during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 2, 2012. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor

LONDON (Reuters) - World number one Zhang Jike said he played the game of his life to set up an all-Chinese table tennis final with Wang Hao on Thursday as Asia maintained a 20-year stranglehold on the competition.

LONDON (Reuters) - World number one Zhang Jike said he played the game of his life to set up an all-Chinese table tennis final with Wang Hao on Thursday as Asia maintained a 20-year stranglehold on the competition.

Zhang won 4-1 in his semi-final against Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov, who was bidding to become the first European to win gold since Sweden's Jan-Ove Waldner triumphed in Barcelona in 1992.

"Before the game I knew I could win so I just told myself to take it easy," Zhang said.

"When I arrived at the venue I was quite confident. I told myself I will win. Today was the best I have ever played."

Second seed Wang followed his compatriot into the final with a more tightly contested 4-1 victory over Taiwan's Chuang Chih-Yuan.

"I promise Wang Hao and I will give the audience the best ever game to watch," Zhang said ahead of the final that gets underway at 1430GMT.

(Reporting by Toby Davis; editing by Patrick Johnston)

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