Zhang Yining of China competes with Li Jia Wei of Singapore during the women's singles semifinal at Beijing Olympic Games table tennis event in Beijing, China, Aug. 22, 2008. Zhang Yining won the match 4-1. (Xinhua/Xu Jiajun) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's defending gold medalist Zhang Yining stormed into the final of the Olympic women's singles table tennis competition here on Friday, beating Singapore's Li Jia Wei.

    Zhang won 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-8 and 11-5. The victory secured a singles gold for China as the world number one will play the winner of the other semifinal match, an all-Chinese affair between world champion Guo Yue and Grand Slam veteran Wang Nan.

    "I think Li fought really hard today. She has participated in three Olympic Games, so she is actually more experienced than me in international competitions," said Zhang.

    "But I knew I would win once I got over the first game," she said. "The final won't be easy because teammates know each other very well."

    Li said that "I played very well today and it's an achievement for me to finish in the top four while the other three are all Chinese players."

    Both Zhang and Li were born in Beijing in 1981. They attended the same school in the Chinese capital between 1986-96.

    But Li went to Singapore in 1996 under Singapore Table Tennis Association's foreign recruitment scheme, and gained Singaporean citizenship in 1999.

Veteran Wang Nan reaches Olympic women's table tennis final

Wang Nan of China competes with Guo Yue of China during the women's singles semifinal at Beijing Olympic Games table tennis event in Beijing, China, Aug. 22, 2008. Wang Nan won the match 4-2. (Xinhua/Xu Jiajun) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Olympic veteran Wang Nan beat Guo Yue 3-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-6 in an all-Chinese semifinal of the Olympic women's table tennis singles event on Friday.

    Wang, dual Olympic champion in 2000, will meet defending champion Zhang Yining of China in the final.