NAGOYA, Japan, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Zhang Shuai and Wang Xiyu advanced to the women's singles final at the Asian Games on Thursday, guaranteeing China gold and silver in the event for the third consecutive Games, while another Chinese Wu Yibing reached the men's singles semifinals.
Zhang, competing at her fourth Asian Games, defeated second-seeded Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-2.
The 37-year-old repeatedly gained the upper hand in long baseline exchanges and converted five of seven break points.
"She is a very tough opponent, and I always find it difficult to beat her. I'm proud of the way I played today," Zhang said.
"Every time, I feel like it might be my last Asian Games. But look, here I am again. So I think you should never put limits on yourself. As long as you have a dream and keep a young heart, it's never too late."
Zhang also spoke of the pride she felt representing China.
"Although tennis is a professional sport, every athlete has a different spark when they talk about events like the Davis Cup, Hopman Cup. There is a different sense of pride that you don't get from tournaments on the tour," she said.
In the other women's singles semifinal, Wang came from a set down to beat Philippine rising star Alexandra Eala 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Wang made a slow start and fell 5-0 behind in the opening set. Although she fought back, Eala held on to take it 6-3.
"She was very quick to get into the match and was very calm in dealing with the match. She constantly put me under pressure and didn't give up easy points," Wang said.
"She didn't give me a lot of time to adjust. She had very few unforced errors. That's the pressure that someone ranked in the top 20 puts you under."
Wang reduced her errors in the following two sets to complete the comeback and reach the final.
She said she drew inspiration from compatriot and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen as she tried to recover from her poor start.
"At the time, I suddenly thought about Zheng Qinwen being down 5-0 before and making that incredible comeback. I wanted to try to do the same," Wang said.
"After all, losing 6-0 would have been a little embarrassing. But I didn't quite pull it off."
Looking ahead to the final, Wang praised Zhang for helping China's younger players.
"Zhang Shuai is a fantastic senior player to me. She has always been generous in sharing her experience with us and encouraging younger players like me, telling us to believe in ourselves," Wang said.
"In the final, I hope I can stay focused on the moment, give it everything I've got and play every point the best I can."
In the men's singles quarterfinals, third-seeded Wu defeated India's Sumit Nagal 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the semifinal.
"The Asian Games have always been unfinished business for me. I missed out on the championship at the Hangzhou Asian Games and before that in Jakarta," Wu said.
"Now I have another chance to step onto the semifinal court, so I have to keep pushing."
Wu will face Japan's Hayato Matsuoka, who rallied to beat second-seeded Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan in three sets in the quarterfinal.
In mixed doubles, China's Jiang Xinyu and Zhang Tianhui beat Chinese Taipei's Chan Hao-ching and Ho Chenjui to advance to the semifinal.
Zhang Tianhui and Jiang Fumin missed out on the men's doubles final, while Zhang Shuai and Guo Hanyu were eliminated in the women's doubles quarterfinal. Wu Yibing and Guo Hanyu also bowed out in the mixed doubles quarterfinal. ■
