TABLE TENNIS - Li settles for third after falling in semi-finals

In the 17th Women's Asian Cup in Japan yesterday morning, Singapore's Li Jiawei, the World No 6, lost 3-4 in a thrilling seven-game semi-final to Hong Kong's Tie Yana despite leading 6-4 in the final game.

Li's voice was full of dejection as she said: 'I didn't take the chances that would have killed off the game when I was leading. Instead I lost a few 50-50 balls. I know this is my weakness and I know I'll have to work on it.'

In last year's Athens Olympics, Li had also led 3-1 against North Korean Kim Hyang Mi in the semi-finals before losing 3-4.Later, she lost to South Korean Kim Kyung Ah 1-4 in the bronze-medal play-off.

But yesterday, the 23-year-old recovered from her semi-final defeat to beat Tie's compatriot and world No 11 Lau Sui Fei 11-6, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6 to clinch third place and US$850 (S$1,380).

In the process, she had equalled Singapore's previous best showing at the Women's Asian Cup.

In 1994, Jing Junhong had finished third while Zhang Xueling repeated the feat in 2000.

But the pain of missing the final was especially agonising as Li had battled from 1-3 down to draw level at 3-3.

Earlier, all seemed lost after four games of intense battle - with Li trailing 9-11, 13-11, 8-11, 8-11.

But she clawed back in the fifth and sixth games to win 11-9 and 11-7 to level at 3-3 and set the stage for a thrilling decider.

But, after leading 6-4, she fell 7-11 at the end.

She added: 'I had done well in the group, which was the toughest of all. But it's just the game against Tie that I didn't do well.'

Earlier, she had topped her group ahead of Fukuhara, China's Liu Shiwen and Thailand's Rattanaprayoon Suttilux.

She beat Fukuhara 4-0, Liu 4-3 and Rattanaprayoon 4-0.

In the quarter-finals, she beat Japan's Hirano Sayaka 4-1.

Singapore's other participant Xu Yan beat South Korea's Moon Hyun Jung 6-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-6, 11-8 to finish seventh.

Li's next assignment will be the World Championships in Shanghai next month when she hopes to clear that bungling final hurdle at last. -- TAN KIM HANfrom The Straits Times Interactive, March 14, 2005