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China's position as a table tennis superpower is intact after the men's team handed out a 3-0 beating to Germany to take gold at the world championships in Doha Sunday.
It is the 14th team title collected by the all-conquering team whose winning tradition dates back to the Beijing World Championships in 1961.
Yesterday's victory just completed China's success in the Doha tournament.
The women defeated Hong Kong to take their sixth straight and 15th overall team title on Saturday.
Wang Hao squared up against Timo Boll in the opening rubber at the Qatar International Exhibition Centre.
Perhaps feeling the effects of heroic play that carried his team to the finals, the German capitulated tamely in straight sets.
Then it was the turn of world No. 1 Ma Lin, with Christian Suss at the other end of the table.
Suss, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Boris Becker, put up stoic resistance against the world's top player. After losing the first set he raced to a 5-0 lead in the second, winning it 11-8.
But Ma then took control and, despite not playing at his very best, his attacking right hand top spin had Suss on the defensive.
During one rally the German was pushed so far away from the table that he was in danger of feeling the waters of the Gulf lapping about his feet.
World champion Wang Liqin then secured China's victory with a 3-1 verdict over Zoltan Fejer-Konnerth, who is some 68 rungs below Wang in the rankings.
(China Daily March 8, 2004)
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