DOHA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's World Cup champion Hugo Calderano defeated China's Liang Jingkun in the men's singles semifinal on Saturday to set up a gold medal clash against second-ranked Wang Chuqing at the World Table Tennis Championships.
The third seed, who used his high-toss serves to disrupt his rival's rhythm and took initiative in attacking in the first two sets, overcame a late surge by the Chinese, winning 15-13, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 3-11, 7-11, 11-9.
"Liang is a fighter," said Calderano after the game.
Wang Chuqin took sweet revenge for his Olympic loss to Truls Moregard, beating the Swede 4-1 in the other semifinal.
Wang, who had suffered a 4-2 defeat by the Swedish giant-killer in the 2024 Paris Olympics, overcame a slow start and took a crucial fourth set to triumph 5-11, 11-8, 11-2, 12-10, 12-10 over 45 minutes. ■
