World Junior Championships in Palo Alto, USA
China Was Invincible in the Mixed Doubles but Struggling
in the Singles
The final of the Mixed Doubles event at the 2007 World Junior
Championships (WJTTC) was a Chinese affair. Xu Ruifeng and
his partner Mu Zi beat Song Shichao and his partner Li Xiaodan.
The bronze medals go to the Kenji Matsudaira and Kasumi Ishikawa
from Japan as well as to Zhang Shengwunan and Yang Yang from
China.
Top Seeded Players Eliminated
In the Boys’ and Girls’ Singles events, the favourites
suffered painful defeats. England’s Paul Drinkhall led
6-4 in the crucial seventh game against China’s Yan
An when the Chinese won seven points in a row.
Paykov, Strong Koreans and a German Spoil Sport
Yan An later lost against Russia’s Mikhail Paykov. “During
the Team events I saw that the Chinese players do not play
differently”, Paykov explained his victory. “I
understood that it is possible to win against them.”
This Friday was also a good day for the Korean boys. Jeong
Sang Eun beat top seeded Song Shichao from China and Lee Sang
Su overcame Japan’s Kenji Matsudaira.
Amelie Solja from Germany banned a total Chinese triumph
in the Girls’ Singles event. The seventeen year old
German has a unique and very unorthodox style of play. Concerning
her coach, Eva Jeler, this might be the reason for her win.
“She is very hard to play if it is your first time against
her”, Jeler said about her protégée.
It was the first time for the top seeded Chinese girl Li
Xiaodan against Solja and Li also was unlucky in the first
two games.
Schedule for the Individual Finals on Saturday, 15th
December (local time)
3:00 p.m.: Girls’ Doubles Final
3:35 p.m.: Boys’ Doubles Final
4:10 p.m.: Girls’ Singles Final
4:45 p.m.: Boys’ Singles Final
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"Source:
ITTF Press Release