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Weary Waldner in semis of World TT

Sweden's Jan-Ove Waldner may be considered past his prime at 33, but yesterday he outlasted China's Kong Linghui in a five-set quarter-final battle en route to defending his World table tennis crown in Eindhoven.

Unheralded Austrian Werner Schlager ousted world No. 4 Zoran Primorac in another five-set thriller to ensure himself at least a bronze and give his country a first table tennis medal since 1955.

Today, Waldner will meet China's Ma Lin, a 21-13, 21-18, 21-8 winner over South Korea's Kim Taek-Soo, while 15th seed Schlager set up a semi-final with Liu Guoliang, who swept past Sweden's Jorgen Persson 21-7, 21-10, 21-15.

Schlager's 21-18, 19-21, 17-21, 21-11, 21-14 victory came as a surprise as the 26-year-old lost an exhausting five-set doubles quarter-final only hours earlier.

Veteran Waldner silenced his critics by edging home in a tough 22-20, 13-21, 21-18, 19-21, 21-15 match against the 1995 World champion whose nickname is ''King Kong.''

But the man who in 1997 in Manchester did not drop a game before lifting his second World Championship crown after 1989, looked weary afterwards.

''This was perhaps one of the most important victories of my life,'' he said. ''There was a lot of prestige involved as we are both World champions.''

Waldner, the only player to have won Olympic, World and European championship titles, has made at least the semi-finals in all worlds since 1987 with the exception of 1995.

At the European Championships here last year, Waldner suffered one of his worst-ever results when he was eliminated from the first round by unfancied German Timo Boll.

''Last year was probably the worst year I ever had in my career. I was looking forward to returning to this stadium in Eindhoven to show the crowd that I am good,'' he said.

In women's quarter-final action, world No. 1 Wang Nan of China continued her triumphant series with a 21-17, 21-15, 21-12 defeat over Cheng Hongxia.

Germany's Jing Tian-Zoerner was eliminated by South Korean Ryu Ji-Hye 21-18, 17-21, 21-16, 21-9; China's Zhang Yining beat compatriot Li Ju 21-13, 21-10, 21-13, while another Chinese qualifier Li Nan ousted compatriot Sun Jin 21-23, 21-12, 21-18, 21-18.

UNI