China has secured three gold medals and has four men in the singles quarter-finals and two pairs in the women's doubles semis at the world table tennis championships.

Friday's competition saw Chinese snap up the last four berths in the women's singles, fill the final slots in the men's doubles and finish one-two in the mixed doubles.

Table tennis chief Adham Sharara received a heavy blow as the organization he leads voted down a proposal on glue ban that he keenly advocated.

The fifth day of competition was wrapped up with a clash of 2003 and 2005 mixed doubles champions.

Wang Liqin and Guo Yue, defending champions, beat Ma Lin and Wang Nan 13-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10 in the final.

Hong Kong duo Ko Lai Chak/Tie Yana and Chinese pair Qiu Yike/Cao Zhen finished joint third.

The showcase men's singles is set to be spectacular as three of Saturday's quarter-finals won't be Chinese vs. Chinese.

Ma Lin, four-time World Cup winner, yet never an owner of a singles world championship, crushed Hong Kong player Leung Chu Yan 11-9, 9-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-7.

The top seed will confront sixth-seeded Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus, who advanced with a 13-11, 8-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-3 victory over Singapore's Gao Ning.

Fourth-seeded Chinese Wang Hao outlasted Chinese Taipei's ChuanChih-Yuan 15-13, 10-12, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-2.

Wang, the surprise loser to South Korean Ryu Seung Min in the 2004 Olympic final, will meet Ryu's compatriot Joo Se Hyuk, who chopped down Chinese upstart Ma Long 5-11, 7-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6.

Ryu edged out teammate Oh Sang Eun 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 3-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7 to set up a clash with German star Timo Boll.

Boll, ranked third and regarded by Chinese as the biggest threat, overcame Greek veteran Kalinikos Kreanga 11-6, 8-11, 11-4,15-13, 11-4.

The other two last-16 games took place between Chinese.

Defending champion Wang Liqin whitewashed Hou Yingchao 11-9, 11-7, 11-7, 11-6, and Hao Shuai wore down Chen Qi 11-7, 7-11, 14-12, 11-13, 10-12, 11-9, 11-9.

The women's singles semifinals will be China's intra-squad matter, with Zhang Yining facing Guo Yue, and Guo Yan against Li Xiaoxia.

Top seed Zhang Yining blanked South Korean Kim Kyung Ah 11-3, 11-4, 11-6, 16-14, and Guo Yue shut out American Wang Chen 11-6, 11-3, 11-1, 11-7.

World Cup holder Guo Yan nipped Chinese national champion Peng Luyang 11-6, 11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8 and Li Xiaoxia stunned more titled teammate Wang Nan, 11-5, 11-6, 12-10, 14-16, 11-8.

In the men's doubles, Chen Qi/Ma Lin and Wang Hao/Wang Liqin have set up an all-Chinese final.

In the women's doubles, Olympic champs Wang Nan/Zhang Yining beat Li Nan/Liu Shiwen to face Li Jia Wei/Wang Yue Gu in Saturday's semifinals.

Guo Yue/Li Xiaoxia will play against South Korea's Kim Kyung Ah/ Park Mi Young in the other semifinal.

The council of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)denied the Sharara-backed proposal to ban the solvent-based glue from September 1, 2007, instead of the same date in 2008, which was decided by the ITTF council one year ago.

Solvent-based glue, which increases speed and spin, is more or less hazardous to health and its replacement - water-based glue, is reportedly clean.

Sharara, whose authority is often challenged by table tennis powers in Europe and Asia, had threatened that he would resign if the glue ban failed to pass the council meeting.

"Everyone agrees that the solvent-based glue should be banned. The difference is when," said Cai Zhenhua, an ITTF council member who is also a vice president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association.

"If the ban is imposed before the 2008 Olympic Games, it will surely affect players and makes table tennis a less spectacular sport in the Olympics," Cai added.

(Xinhua News Agency May 26, 2007)