Li Ting and Sun Tiantian, the top Chinese pair in the women's
doubles, won for their country the first-ever gold medal in tennis,
beating Conchita Martinez and Virginia Ruano Pascual from Spain
6-3, 6-3 in the final at the Olympic Games in Athens on
Sunday.??
Li/Sun, seeded No.8 in the Olympic tennis tournament, held a
steady mind during the match against the Spanish veterans, making
less unforced errors when playing long rallies along the
baselines.
In spite of serving many more double faults, the Chinese left no
chance for the No.2 seeds to steal their victory, seizing six out
of ten break points opportunities and converting the match into an
overwhelming triumph.
"We had never thought about it before the Olympics, even before
this match," said Li Ting, 24-year-old girl from Hubei
Province.
"We felt so happy to win the gold, and we will be even better in
the next Olympics," said Sun Tiantian, adding that she wanted to
take a good rest now.
However, Sun said that they are going to take part in the US
Open right after the Olympics, but "the Olympic gold means more to
us than the championship of Grand Slams."
(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2004)