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KUALA LUMPUR: After the high of shocking China's world No 2 Guo Yue in the last eight on Sunday, Singapore's table tennis star Feng Tianwei was brought back down to earth 24 hours later.
The world No 9 lost 4-0 (11-6, 13-11, 11-8, 11-7) to Hong Kong's world No 10 Tie Yana in the semi-finals of the US$135,000 ($192,668) Volkswagen Women's World Cup at Kuala Lumpur's Badminton Stadium on Monday night.
But Feng, who helped the women's team win silver at last month's Olympic Games, still enjoyed a podium finish when she beat compatriot Wang Yuegu to take third place.
The 22-year-old, who shocked Guo 4-1 in the quarter-finals, beat world No 7 Wang 4-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8). Wang had lost to China's world No 3 Li Xiaoxia 4-0 in the other semi-final earlier on Monday.
Singapore's world No 6, Li Jiawei, was knocked out in the preliminary round.
The invitation-only tournament, which started on Saturday and saw 16 women compete for the US$44,000 winner's cheque, was won by Li Xiaoxia, who beat Tie 4-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-3, 14-12).
Singapore coach Liu Guodong wasn't too disappointed with the result, considering the players were still adapting to the ban by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) on the use of speed glue.
"The ruling has only just come into effect, so the players still need time to adapt to the new changes. It has affected the way everyone plays," said Liu.
"Furthermore, the players are still regaining their rhythm again after a short break following the Olympics."
Speed glue gives the batting surface more tension, which increases the power and spin of players' shots. Now, only water-based adhesives, which slows the pace of the game, are allowed.
The Singapore trio of Li, Feng and Wang will be in Shanghai on Tuesday for the ITTF Pro Tour's US$100,000 Panasonic China Open 2008 (September 11-14).
Much will be expected of the team especially after their silver medal feat at the Beijing Olympics, but Liu, a former coach with the Chinese national team, played down their chances.
"It would take at least three to four months for the players to get used to changes as a result of the ban on speed glue," said Liu. "They need time to adjust, so I'm not expecting too much during this period." - TODAY
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