After winning a tight opening game, Pan then kicked on to take the second in emphatic fashion as she moved within one game of beating the five-time Paralympic champion.

Zhang responded by winning the third before a tense fourth game was played out.

Pan missed two opportunities to close out the match.

Zhang then hit back to send the match into a decider.

With the momentum, she moved 4-1 ahead, before Pan drew level at 6-6 and 7-7.

Finally, Zhang won the next four points to clinch a brilliant 12-4, 5-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-7 victory.

"I still lack experience," said Pan.

"When I was leading, I relaxed for a moment.

"After that I wanted to tighten up, but I couldn’t."

Zhang added: "I didn’t think of gunning for her, I was conservative, so I lost the first two games.

"The turning point was in the third game when I served with underspin, and she received into the net.

"I changed my strategy and decided not to attack too much and to hit the majority of my shots with underspin. 

"Tried to move her around by hitting to both wings."

The bronze medallists in the women’s singles C5 were Young A Jung of South Korea and Khetam Abu Awad of Jordan.

China won five of the eight gold medals on offer in the table tennis today with three of those coming in the morning session.

There was another all-Chinese final in the women’s singles C8.

Mao Jingdian came from a game behind to secure the title for the third successive Paralympics after beating Huang Wenjuan 11-13, 11-5, 11-5, 11-9.

Norway’s Aida Dahlen and France’s Thu Kamkasomphou claimed the bronze medals.

Yan Shuo of China defeated defending champion Will Bayley of Britain 4-11, 11-9, 11-2, 11-8 to win the men’s singles C7 crown.

The bronze medals were won by China’s Liao Keli and Poland’s Maksym Chudzicki.

Zhou Ying was another Chinese gold medal winner as she cruised to a 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 win over India’s Bhavinaben Hasmukhbai of India in the women’s singles C4.

Gu Xiaodan and Zhang Miao both secured bronzes.

Hopes of a clean sweep of Chinese gold medals in the morning session were dashed by Germany’s Valentin Baus, who pulled off a shock 4-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-13, 11-7 victory over Cao Ningning.

Ali Ozturk of Turkey and Britain's Jack Hunter Spivey also earned podium spots having both clinched bronzes yesterday.

In the evening session, China’s fifth gold medal of the day came courtesy of Xue Juan, who stormed to a 11-2, 11-6, 11-9 victory over Slovakia’s Alena Kanova to retain her women’s singles C3 title.

South Korea picked up the two bronze medals thanks to Mi Gyu Lee and Jiyu Yoon.

Hungary's Peter Palos edged out Australia's Samuel von Einem in an epic five-game men's singles C11 final.

The match swung one way and then the next as they battled it out for more than 30 minutes.

Von Einem led twice but was unable to seal the victory, as Palos came back to secure a 6-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9 victory.

Both semi-finals were also won in the decider with France’s Lucas Creange and Belgium’s Florian van Acker having to settle for bronzes after coming up short.

Poland's Patryk Chojnowski completed a 11-8, 11-5, 12-10 victory over France's Mateo Boheas in the men's singles C10 final.

Filip Radovic of Montenegro and Indonesia’s David Jacobs were awarded bronze medals following their efforts yesterday.