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Ding Ning completes Grand Slam request with Olympic gold of singles
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DING Ning came out the new Grand Slam winner of table tennis here on Wednesday after winning in full sets over defending champion Li Xiaoxia in an all-Chinese women's singles final in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
The 26-year-old top seed, whose encounter with Li was a rematch of the London final four years ago, held well her nerve to win over her teammate 11-9, 5-11, 14-12, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7.
It has been the first time in the sport's 28-year history since the game was introduced to the 1988 Seoul Games that the same two players entered a singles final in back-to-back Olympic Games.
Trailing 3-9 into the game, Li, 28 years old, who suggested earlier Wednesday that this could be her last Olympic Games, managed to score five points in a row to narrow the gap to 8-9, but Ding was the one to eventually win it 11-9.
The Chinese duo then exchanged leads in the following sets, which went as unpredictable as usual when it comes between two Chinese players.
Both Ding and Li made few mistakes and each of them was unable to guarantee an unbeatable lead, neither with Ding's trademark backhand serve or Li's fierce attack with crazy top spin.
In the later proved important third set, the 26-year-old Ding, who's uncomfortable with her left shoulder after two straight matches against defensive players before the final, took an earlier lead and denied a late comeback from Li to win 14-12.
Then in the fifth set, Li won a more than 20-tap rally to lead 9-3 before taking six set points 10-4.
Later in the decider, with Li having denied two match points through serves, Ding called herself a timeout at the none-coach attended "civil war", and came back to wrap up the match.
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