GLASGOW - Singapore beat Malaysia 3-0 in the women’s table tennis final to secure a fourth straight gold in the event at the Commonwealth Games on Sunday.
Singapore's Feng Tianwei hits a return against Japan's Kasumi Ishikawa during the final at the Japan Open table tennis tournament in Yokohama on June 22, 2014
The strong favourites suffered a mild surprise when they lost their first match since their win in the inaugural tournament in 2002 in their semi-final win over India.
But they were far slicker against the sixth seed Malaysians, who
shocked second seeds Australia in the semi-finals, and did not lose a match on their way to gold.
Australia beat India 3-1 in the bronze medal match.
In the final, world number 10 Yu Mengyu, beaten by India’s Manika Batra on Saturday lost her first game against Sock Khim Ng 11-7.
But she fought through to win her rubber by taking the next three games 11-5, 11-9, 11-9.
Singapore’s top player Feng Tianwei produced a controlled performance with an 11-8, 11-5, 11-4 over Lee Wei Beh.
Lin Ye and Yu then edged a tight match against Ying Ho and Lee Wei in the doubles with an 11-9, 11-13, 11-9, 11-5 to continue their domination of the event.
They will now look to continue their run of success in the singles and doubles events and are strong favourites for a clean sweep of the gold medals.
After the shock of losing the semi-final to Malaysia, Australia coach Jens Lang admitted it was a major relief to win a medal.
India’s Manika Batra beat Lay Jian Fang to make it 1-1 against
Australia in the bronze medal match.
But Lang’s team won the doubles and Zhang Ziyu beat Madhurika Suhas Patkar to seal bronze after two hours and 43 minutes.
Lang said: “It’s a massive relief. We’re so happy now. It was such a thrilling game. Every match could have gone either way.
“You prepare for such a long time, set your focus on nothing but this and whether it works out depends on such tiny little details.
“We did everything right, we had the perfect line-up. We’ve proved
we’re still a powerhouse in the Commonwealth Games in table tennis.
“People say the players are too old and past their prime but we still have fighting spirit and experience and we showed that.”
The semi-finals of the men’s team event, with Singapore facing Nigeria and India meeting England, take place later on Sunday.