August 20, 2010
Another Possible Threat to Continued Chinese Hegemony
 Kim Mni Seok in form in Suzhou Photo By: An Sung Ho |
Courtesy of ITTF |
It is now over two decades since the Swedes were consistently more than a match for China; since the late 1980s and the early 1990s the defeats suffered by the male and female stars of Chinese table tennis have been somewhat sporadic; nobody has matched the achievements of the golden Swedish era of Jan-Ove Waldner, Jörgen Persson, Peter Karlsson, Erik Lindh, Thomas Von Scheele and all.
Memorable Events
Certainly, there have been the news breaking events since the halcyon days of Swedish glory; the victory recorded by the Swedes in 2000 over the China in the final of the Men’s Team event at the World Championships in Kuala Lumpur was stunning.
Equally, Werner Schlager’s victory in 2003 at the Liebherr World Championships in Paris was breathtaking, Ryu Seung Min’s gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games was remarkable while more recently in the final of the Women’s event at the Liebherr World Team Championships in Moscow earlier this year stopped the press.
Returned Stronger
However, on each occasion, China has tended to return the stronger.
So, who can challenge China in the next decade?
The Germans believe they are moving closer, narrowing the gap while n Korea there are two young men who might just prove major threats.
Korean Teenagers Impressive
Stand tall Kim Min Seok and Jung Young, both are 18 years old and both have impressed in the past year on the ITTF Pro Tour and in competitions that form the ITTF Global Junior Program.
Both were in form in Suzhou in the first round of the Men’s Singles event at the Harmony China Open, both beat seeded opposition in their first round duels.
Seeds Beaten
Kim Min Seok defeated Germany’s Patrick Baum, the no.25 seed and in 2009, the runner in the Men’s Singles event at the Japan Open; while, Jung Young Sik, winner of the Under 21 Men’s Singles crown at the recent KRA Korean Open, ousted Japan’s experienced Kan Yo, the no. 28 seed.
Korean Defeat
Two fine Korean wins in the lower half of the first round in the Men’s Singles event but there was defeat; seeded no.26, Seo Hyun Deok was beaten by Chinese Taipei’s Wu Chih-Chi.
Three surprises in the lower half of the draw and there was one more; England’s Paul Drinkhall beat Russia’s Kirill Skackov, the no.30 seed.
Leading Names Secure
Meanwhile, for the leading names on duty it was a safe passage.
Germany’s Timo Boll (no.2 seed), who described the conditions as being lighting, beat England’s Darius Knight; China’s Ma Lin (no.3 seed) and Xu Xin (no.6 seed) defeated India’s Soumyajit Ghosh and Sweden’s Mattias Karlsson respectively while Joo Se Hyuk (no.8 seed) proved too experienced for Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan.
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