WORTHY CHAMPIONS: Sun Bei Bei and Gao Ning, who won the women's and men's singles titles. — Photo: Sandeep Saxena

JAIPUR: Gao Ning, the top-seed, defeated his sparring partner and second seed Yang Zi 6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 in the Commonwealth table tennis championships at the Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium on Tuesday in an insipid final to clinch his second men's title on Indian shores.

The women's section was an all-Singapore final. The second seed Sun Bei Bei put it across Yue Gu Wang, the top seed 11-3, 10-12, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-3.

The men's summit clash turned out to be a dull affair. As a senior India player said, "it was a boring match."

Sharath loses

Earlier, the much-anticipated last four clash between Sharath Kamal and Gao Ning was also a disappointment. Ning shut out Sharath's challenge early to win 13-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-7.

Sharath was briefly leading 5-7 in the first game. But Ning then raced away to 10-7 even as the National champion tried his best to catch up. The second game was a similar story. Ning attacked judiciously and used his backhand really well to place out Sharath.

The body language of both the players after the third game told its own tale. "Against the Chinese players, you have to win the first couple of games which will make them go into a shell. Otherwise it is very tough to beat them," said Sharath.

Singapore won six of the seven gold medals; the remaining gold was bagged by Nigeria in the men's doubles.

India has done reasonably well, given the competition and how the draw had panned out. It won a silver (men's team) and four bronze medals — men's singles, women's team, men's and women's doubles. In the 2004 championships, India won two golds, one silver and a bronze medal.

The results (Indians unless otherwise mentioned):

Men (final): Gao Ning (Sin) bt Yang Zi (Sin) 6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6, 11-7; (semifinals): Gao Ning bt Sharath Kamal 13-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-7; Yang Zi bt Kazeem Nosiru (Ngr) 11-8, 11-9, 11-8, 11-6.

Women (final): Sun Bei Bei (Sin) bt Yue Gu Wang (Sin) 11-3, 10-12, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-3; (semifinals): Yue Gu Wang bt Lee Wei Beh (Mas) 6-11, 10-12, 13-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-6; Sun Bei Bei bt Miao Miao (Aus) 13-,11, 8-11, 12-10, 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8.

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