Hat-Trick For Wang Nan

Wang Nan wins three world titles in a row

First published on Saturday, May 24, 2003

Last updated on Sunday, May 25, 2003

ITTF Press Release

Bercy, Paris Sunday 25th May 2003

Victory in the women’s doubles final in partnership with ZHANG Yining gave WANG Nan her third title at the Liebherr World Table Tennis Championships in Bercy.

The last female player to win all three individual events was LIN Huqing, also of China, in 1971 in Nagoya, Japan; it was a feat never achieved by the legendary DENG Yaping and when the team event and the individual events were combined into one championships, no Chinese female player ever completed the grand slam of four titles at the same World Championships. The last female player to achieve the distinction of winning four titles on the same occasion was Angelica ROZEANU of Romania, a feat she achieved in 1953 on home soil in Bucharest.

`It never becomes a routine to win a World title’ said WANG Nan. `I am excited every time, of course your first titles are special but the three I won here mean a lot to me, because I have had bad results during the last year.

Meanwhile, there was a smile on the face of ZHANG Yining. `Yes, I was disappointed yesterday after the singles final but that wasn’t on my mind today. When I woke up today, my first thought was about the women’s doubles not about the women’s singles.’

Both pairs presented the classic combination of a right and left hander with experience eventually overcoming youth; however, the lot of being the runners up was surely a most acceptable outcome for newly formed combination of GUO Yue and NIU Jianfeng, they can leave Paris well satisfied with their efforts.

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Hat-Trick For Wang Nan

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