Kong Wins U.S. Open Table Tennis Title : Tournament: Men’s final features members of China’s national team.

In a battle of teammates, Linghui Kong defeated Liu Guoliang in straight sets to win the men’s singles division of the U.S. Open Table Tennis Championships on Sunday at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The sixth-seeded Kong, a member of China’s national team, opened an 8-0 lead over the second-seeded Guoliang, also a member of the national team. Kong, 19, repeatedly sent smashes that forced the 18-year-old Guoliang back from the table. When Guoliang was nearly 12 feet back and struggling to return the powerful shots, Kong dropped a perfectly placed ball just over the net. He won the game, 21-9.

At the beginning of the second game, Guoliang changed to a more dramatic serve and was able to stay in the game longer. He crouched beside the table and tossed the ball as he sprang up. He then sliced under the ball while kicking out with his right foot.

Kong quickly figured out how to return the underspinning delivery and punished Guoliang with a series of speedy smashes to alternating sides. Kong won the game, 21-13, and the next, 21-17.

Lu Yuan-Sheng, who coaches both players, thought Kong might have been seeded lower because the computer was not up-to-date on recent victories in Europe and Asia.

“If they play 10 games against each other, Kong always will win seven,” Yuan-Sheng said. “But Guoliang is better against outside players. He plays better when he plays the Swiss or the French.”

Kong earned $10,000 for the victory.

In the women’s singles division, top-seeded Jun Gao defeated her practice partner and the No. 1 U.S. player to win the championship in straight sets. Amy Feng, 24, seeded sixth in the tournament, reached the final match after upsetting Jing Chen of Taiwan, the defending U.S. Open champ, in the semifinals.

Gao, 25, emigrated from China in January and began working out with members of the U.S. table tennis team in Maryland.

Gao was not surprised to face Feng, with whom she practices five times a week, but said it was difficult to play against her because they know each other’s game so well.

“My serve poses a threat to her,” Gao said. “I was able to score on the next shots because of my serve.”

Gao tosses the ball high in the air and slices underneath just before it hits the table. With this serve, she said, she could add either under- or side-spin to the ball, making it float across the net to her opponent.

In high-speed rallies, Gao controlled the pace and often was able to wait until Feng hit the ball into the net or off the table. Gao also could direct the ball to the body, denying Feng a solid return with either her forehand or backhand.

Gao, who won, 21-16, 21-10, 21-4, began playing in China when she was 5. She was competing in the 1990 U.S. Open when she met her eventual husband, Frank Chang, who is an American. They met a second time in the 1992 World’s doubles championships and were married in October, 1993.

“She would like to play for the United States as soon as it is possible under the agreement (with the International Table Tennis Federation)”, Chang said. The ITTF requires a player to live in the new country two years before she is eligible to play in singles competition and seven years for doubles.

Gao earned $5,000 for winning the women’s division.

In the doubles competition, Guoliang and Lin Zhigang of China defeated Christophe Legout and Nicolas Chatelain of France, 21-16, 21-16. Lee Miok and Park Kyungas of Korea won the women’s doubles by defeating Chen Jing and Chiu-Tan Chen of Taiwan, 21-16, 21-19.