Eurosib Russian Open
Seeds Fall to Rising Chinese Stars
None of the top four seeded players in the Women’s
Singles event at the Eurosib Russian Open in St Petersburg
reached the semi-final stage; on Saturday 20th October 2007,
three fell in round three and one in the quarters.
All were beaten by rising Chinese stars who compared with
the players they overcame have minimal international experience.
In the third round, Chang Chenchen, the winner of the Girls’
Singles title at the World Junior Championships in 2004, beat
top seed Singapore’s Li Jia Wei and Rao Jingwen, playing
in only her third ITTF Pro Tour tournament, overcame second
seed, Hong Kong’s Tie Yana; to complete the trio of
victories, Chen Qing ended the hopes of third seed, Wang Yue
Gu, also of Singapore.
Not to be left out, one round later at the quarter-final
stage, Peng Luyang, a quarter-finalist in the Women’s
Singles event at the Liebherr World Championships in May,
overcame the number four seed, Japan’s Ai Fukuhara.
Alongside Peng Luyang; Chang Chenchen and Rao Jingwen progressed
to the semi-finals beating Germany’s Wu Jiaduo and Japan’s
Sayaka Hirano respectively in the round of the last eight.
The one member of the group to fall was Chen Qing. She lost
to Lin Ling of Hong Kong, a former member of the Chinese national
team.
Similarly in the Women’s Doubles event the Chinese
ladies were in fine form. Li Nan and Peng Luyang plus Chen
Qing and Rao Jingwen progressed safely to the final without
either pair being extended the full seven games distance.
In the Men’s Singles, top seed Germany’s Timo
Boll reached the semi-final stage beating China’s Qiu
Yike and Japan’s Jun Mizutani; the win over the former
was revenge for the second round defeat the German had suffered
at the hands of the rising Chinese star at the Liebherr World
Championships in 2003.
Meanwhile, for eighteen year old Jun Mizutani it was the
end of his giant killing activities; immediately prior to
losing to Timo Boll he had beaten the man who won the Men’s
Singles title at the Liebherr World Championships in 2003,
Austria’s Werner Schlager.
A semi-final place for Timo Boll and also for third seed
Chen Qi; he beat Croatia’s Zoran Primorac in the quarters,
whilst compatriot Li Ping continued his good form to overcome
Germany’s Bastian Steger and thus reached the semi-final
stage of a Men’s Singles event on the ITTF Pro Tour
for the first time in his career.
The one remaining place in the Men’s Singles semi-finals
was booked by Hong Kong’s Li Ching; seeded seven he
caused a minor surprise by beating Singapore’s in form
Gao Ning in the quarters, the number four seed in St Petersburg.
Li Ching was also in good form in the Men’s Doubles;
seeded one with compatriot Ko Lai Chak, the pair reached the
final where they meet second seeds Chen Qi and Qiu Yike.
In the events to be decided on Saturday 20th October 2007,
France’s Emmanuel Lebesson won the Under 21 Men’s
Singles title beating the host nation’s Kirill Skachkov
in the final whilst in the counterpart female event, Poland’s
Li Qian overcame Singapore’s Feng Tanwei to clinch gold.
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"Source:
ITTF Press Release