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Swedish Open

National Legend Keeps Swedish Hopes Alive

Forty-one year old Jörgen Persson was the one player from the host nation to survive the second round of the Men’s Singles event at the Swedish Open in Stockholm on Friday 16th November 2007.

Winner of the Men’s Singles title at the World Championships in 1991, he overcame Germany’s Bastian Steger in round two to book his place in the last sixteen.

Alas, for his colleagues it was defeat on the third of play in Stockholm.

Jens Lundqvist was beaten in the opening round by Sébastian Jover of France, whilst one round later Fredrik Håkansson lost to Korea’s Joo Se Hyuk and Jon Persson suffered at the hands of Russia’s Dmitrij Mazunov.

However, for twenty-one year old Jon Persson there was considerable consolation; in the opening round he beat the vastly experienced Chiang Peng-Lung of Chinese Taipei. The latter currently stands at no. 35 on the ITTF Men’s World Ranking list whilst Jon Person is at no.273.

The win recorded by Jon Persson was the biggest shock of the day; a day went matters went very much according to seeding.

In the Men’s Singles event the top eight seeds all progressed to the third round successfully with the Chinese quintet of Wang Hao, Ma Lin, Wang Liqin, Ma Long and Chen Qi all emerging successful, as did the Koreans Ryu Seung Min and Joo Se Hyuk plus Singapore’s Gao Ning.

Meanwhile, of the top eight seeded players in the Women’s Singles event there was just one casualty amongst the elite; eighth seed Korea’s Kim Kyung Ah was beaten by her compatriot Jun Hye Kyung.

Kim Kyung Ah currently appears at no.13 on the ITTF Women’s World Ranking list whilst Jun Hye Kyung is at no. 91.

Otherwise, it was a safe passage for the leading ladies. China’s Guo Yue, Li Xiaoxia and Guo Yan; Hong Kong’s Jiang Huajun and Tie Yana plus Singapore’s Li Jia Wei and Wang Yue Gu all negotiated the first two rounds successfully.