Erke Qatar Open
Quarter-Final Exit for World Champion
China’s Guo Yue, the reigning World champion, departed
proceedings in the Women’s Singles event at the Erke
Qatar Open in Doha on Friday 21st March 2008 at the quarter-final
stage.
Seeded two, she was beaten by the number seven seed, Hong
Kong’s Jiang Huajun; the Hong Kong player is renowned
for her strong backhand, in Doha she underlined her claim
to possessing the strongest backhand in global female table
tennis.
The defeat of Guo Yue was one of several surprises on the
fourth day of play in the splendid surroundings of the Qatar
Sports Club.
Also in the Women’s Singles event, Li Xiaoxia, the
defending champion and number two seed was beaten in the third
round by her sixteen year old Chinese compatriot, sixteenth
seed, Liu Shiwen; whose progress was then halted in the round
of the last eight by fifth seed, Guo Yan, also from China.
Meanwhile, Korea’s Seok Ha Jung, a player whose name
does not appear on the ITTF Women’s World Rankings,
defeated twelfth seed, Singapore’s Sun Bei Bei before
Wang Nan, former Olympic and World champion, halted further
adventures at the quarter-final stage.
At the semi-final stage Guo Yan meets Jiang Huajun whilst
Wang Nan faces Chinese national team colleague, Zhang Yining.
In the round of the last eight, Zhang Yining, the reigning
Olympic defeated Korea’s Kwak Bang Bang.
Surprises in the Women’s Singles event and it was the
same in the Men’s Doubles with Romania’s Adrian
Crisan and China’s Zhang Jike being the players to cause
the upsets.
Seeded twenty-two, Adrian Crisan beat Vladimir Samsonov of
Belarus, the number five seed in round two to inflict the
first defeat of the year on the three times European champion.
Vladimir Samsonov had won the Men’s Singles title in
Slovenia and in Kuwait, the first two ITTF Pro Tour tournaments
of the year.
However, the progress of Adrian Crisan was short-lived; in
the quarter-finals he lost to the number two seed and defending
champion, China’s Ma Lin.
A shock exit for Vladimir Samsonov and also for the number
four seed, Ma Long. He lost in seven games to doubles partner
and colleague, the un-seeded Zhang Jike.
Otherwise matters went according to plan with Wang Hao, having
experienced a gruelling third round encounter against Kalinikos
Kreanga of Greece, recording a straight games quarter-final
victory over Singapore’s Gao Ning, whilst at same stage
Wang Liqin won the all Chinese duel against Chen Qi.
In the semi-finals Wang Hao meets Zhang Jike whilst Wang
Liqin confronts Ma Lin.
Success for China in the singles events and they are well
represented in the doubles finals where in the women’s
event Guo Yue and Zhang Yining face the Koreans, Kim Kyung
Ah and Park Mi Young whilst in the counterpart male competition
Chen Qi and Wang Liqin play Ma Long and Zhang Jike.
The finals are therefore dominated by Asian players with
China to the fore but there was success for Europe on the
fourth day of play. Russia’s Kirill Skackov and Romania’s
Daniela Dodean won the respective Under 21 Men’s and
Under 21 Women’s Singles titles; Kirill Skachkov overcame
Korea’s Lee Jin Kwon to secure gold whilst Daniela Dodean
defeated Singapore’s Yu Meng Yu at the same stage.
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"Source:
ITTF Press Release