Karen Li's victory will improve her chances of being picked for the Commonwealth Games. Photo / Paul Estcourt
New Zealand table tennis No 1 Karen Li found herself in three finals at the Oceania table tennis championships in Auckland and as two matches were completed she must have wondered if she was going to win anything.
She had been beaten in the mixed final by Australian rival Miao
Miao and her partner William Henzell and then in the women's doubles final with Yang Sun by Miao Miao (with partner Jian Fang Lay) again. But she was able to quickly put those losses aside and win the final she really wanted - the women's singles title, beating Miao Miao in a hard fourth, four games to two battle.
The victory will help put Li's name forward in front of the Commonwealth Games selectors, who rejected her nomination for the Beijing Olympics two years ago.
However, they should see value in her appearance in Delhi after she beat Australia's best in the singles final and also in the teams final. In the match Li quickly moved out to a two-game lead, winning the first 11-7 and the second 11-8.
But Miao Miao was quick to come back and she won the next two.
Li won the following game easily and then in the final game was ahead 10-5, but dropped five match points in a row and looked like she would have to go to another game.
Eventually she won on her seventh match point 13-11 to take the title, her second after winning the event in 2006.
In the men's section top-ranked Australian Henzell proved he was the best male player in Oceania, winning all three titles on offer.
He picked up the men's doubles with Justin Han over unheralded Kiwis Josh Alexandre and Matt Lowe, combined with Miao Miao in the mixed and then beat countryman Han in straight games in the singles.
