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Ding defies injury to win second world title

  • China's Ding Ning serves against her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
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    China's Ding Ning serves against her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou

    China's Ding Ning serves against her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
    Reuters
  • China's Ding Ning falls on the court during her women's singles final table tennis match against her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
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    China's Ding Ning falls on the court during her women's singles final table tennis match against her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou

    China's Ding Ning falls on the court during her women's singles final table tennis match against her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
    Reuters
  • China's Ding Ning reacts after defeating her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
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    China's Ding Ning reacts after defeating her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou

    China's Ding Ning reacts after defeating her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
    Reuters
  • China's Ding Ning reacts after defeating her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
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    China's Ding Ning reacts after defeating her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou

    China's Ding Ning reacts after defeating her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
    Reuters
  • China's Liu Shiwen reacts after losing a point against compatriot Ding Ning in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
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    China's Liu Shiwen reacts after losing a point against compatriot Ding Ning in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou

    China's Liu Shiwen reacts after losing a point against compatriot Ding Ning in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
    Reuters
  • China's Ding Ning poses with her gold medal and trophy during the medal ceremony for the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
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    China's Ding Ning poses with her gold medal and trophy during the medal ceremony for the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou

    China's Ding Ning poses with her gold medal and trophy during the medal ceremony for the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
    Reuters
China's Ding Ning serves against her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
China's Ding Ning falls on the court during her women's singles final table tennis match against her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
China's Ding Ning reacts after defeating her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
China's Ding Ning reacts after defeating her compatriot Liu Shiwen in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
China's Liu Shiwen reacts after losing a point against compatriot Ding Ning in the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
China's Ding Ning poses with her gold medal and trophy during the medal ceremony for the women's singles final table tennis match at the World Table Tennis Championships in Suzhou, Jiangsu province May 2, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song
Reuters

(Reuters) - China's Ding Ning has claimed a second women's singles world title by battling through an ankle injury that left her in a heap to beat compatriot Liu Shiwen 4-3 in the final. Trailing 1-0 in the seventh game in Suzhou on Saturday, the London Olympic silver medalist turned her right ankle trying to get into position to return and required a 10-minute medical time out. The 24-year-old hobbled throughout the remainder of the contest but managed to battle back from 2-0 down to claim the decisive game 11-8 to add another world title to her 2011 triumph. "I definitely didn't want to give up since I had come so far," said Ding, who extended China's grip on the women's singles title to 11 straight championships. "I just wanted to give out all my strength in this match. Finally I won the match and it's just like a dream." In Saturday's other final, China's Xu Xing and Zhang Jike beat compatriots Fan Zhendong and Zhou Yu 4-2 to win the mens' doubles crown. It was a second title of the championships for Xu, who on Friday teamed up with Yang Ha-eun of South Korea to become the first cross-border partnership to win the mixed doubles title since 1954. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Peter Rutherford)