Little lady shows big talent

Table tennis great Liu thinks 8-year-old daughter could be destined for greatness

Liu Guoliang used to nurture up-and-coming table tennis stars.

Now he's turned his attention to golf.

The legendary paddler, who was dismissed as Team China's head coach last June, was an interested spectator at this week's Le Coq Sportif Beijing Ladies Classic at Orient Pearl Country Club, where his 8-year-old daughter was creating something of a stir.

Liu Yujie, nicknamed Yingying (which literally translates as 'winning') partnered with professional player Wang Mengzhu for Tuesday's proam.

Yingying's prodigious skills didn't go unnoticed, with many of the pros, including defending champion Shi Yuting, interacting closely with her.

Liu has high hopes for his daughter, reckoning she could even develop into the next Feng Shanshan, China's nine-time LPGA champion and now world No 2.

"I have a very high expectations of my daughter and I hope she can become a world top 10 golfer and the next Feng Shanshan," said Liu.

"She has the talent and she's a really hard-working kid. As her father, all I can do is to give her a better environment.

"When she's bigger with better skills, I will support her to join the LPGA, which hopefully will be the first stop of her career.

"Of course, I really wish that one day my daughter could be an Olympic gold medalist, bringing honor to China."

Yingying has already claimed a number of domestic and international junior trophies, notably winning the 8-year-old category on the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy Tour on her birthday.

"Sports is my family tradition. If my kid also has an interest and talent for sports, I will try my best to support her," said Liu.

"Golf is actually a family sport for us. Now I help her to play and when I'm old, we still have a common interest.

"When she grows up and comes home on weekends, we can play golf together. It would be our connection. It's a father-and-daughter thing."

Liu was a megastar on the table who became a household name in China, so it might seem strange he has not encouraged his daughter to pick up a paddle.

However, the 42-year-old, who won two Olympic titles as a player and was the coaching brains behind many gold medals, feared Yingying would forever be in his shadow if she chooses a career on the table.

"If Yingying stays in the table tennis world, she will no doubt have to face a lot of pressure because of me," said Liu.

"My achievements would be a shadow to her and it would be too difficult for her. Golf's development in China is still in its early stages, but I think it's promising."

However, Liu has not totally abandoned table tennis. He made a welcome return to the international scene earlier this month as a TV commentator at the ITTF World Team Championships in Sweden, where his former charges swept all the titles.