LONDON, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Top seed paddler Ding Ning of China marched into the semifinals after a tight match against Japan's star player Fukuhara Ai on Tuesday.
The game didn't start well for Ding, who lost 2-6 quickly to Fukuhara. Ding managed to catch up, but Fukuhara reached the set point first with Ding two points trailing behind. With patience, Ding fought tenaciously and successfully saved the match point. The score seesawed then and Ding finally closed the set at 15-13.
Motivated by the first win, Ding played more smoothly in the following sets, beating Fukuhara 11-6, 11-6 and 11-4.
Born in 1990, Ding won the women's singles title at both last year's World Championships and the World Cup. Current world No. 1, she is seen as China's best shot at gold in women's singles in London.