March 26, 2010
2010 Asia Cup: Chinese Duo Sound Warning with Impressive Quarter-Final Victories
 Lui Shiwen |
Courtesy of ITTF Both gave very impressive performances in their quarter-final encounters, both extremely professional; there was a job to be done and that job was completed with ruthless efficiency. |
In every department of the game, they excelled and when it came to rallies they could keep the ball in play ad infinitum, until exasperation forced errors from their adversaries.
High Level of Technical Skills
Technical skills as near perfection as humanly possible, Liu Shiwen recorded a five games win over the rapidly improving Huang Yi-Hua of Chinese Taipei before Ding Ning went one step better by beating Singapore’s Wang Yue Gu in four straight games.
“I’ve played Wang Yue Gu once before and I won”, explained Ding Ning. “Last year at the Asian Championships I won three-one in the Women’s Team Final.”
It was the second match on court and it was a tournament in which Ding Ning excelled; later in the proceedings she won the Women’s Singles title and in her last eight duels in Guangzhou, she showed the form that took her to the top step of the medal podium in Lucknow.
Aware of Tactics
“Having played her before, I knew the tactics to use”, added Ding Ning who was well aware of the potency of Wang Yue Gu’s backhand; short pimples attacking over the table from that wing, she excels.
“I think at the moment my level is a little above that of Wang Yue Gu”, concluded Ding Ning. “I have just come back from the German Open I am still suffering from jet lag; I think tonight I played much better than I did this morning.”
Singaporean and Korean Progress
Certainly, she played extremely well as did Singapore’s Feng Tianwei and Korea’s Seok Ha Jung; the former recorded a straight games win over 16 year old Yang Ha Eun, also from Korea, while in a hard fought duel Seok Ha Jung defeated Hong Kong’s Lau Sui Fei.
Nostalgia
However, the contest that captured the attention of the ever growing crowd was the duel between Japan’s Yuri Yamanashi and Thailand’s Nanthana Komwong in the battle for 9th to 16th places.
The match went the full seven games distance with Yuri Yamanashi wining the seventh game 21-19!
Days of old.
Women’s Singles: Positions 1-8
Liu Shiwen (CHN) bt Huang Yi-Hua (TPE) 11-3, 11-8, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5
Seok Ha Jung (KOR) bt Lau Sui Fei (HKG) 7-11, 15-13, 11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6
Ding Ning (CHN) bt Wang Yue Gu (SIN) 11-2, 12-10, 11-8, 11-5
Feng Tianwei (SIN) bt Yang Ha Eun (KOR) 11-4, 11-5, 15-13, 11-5
Women’s Singles: Positions 9-16
Zhang Rui (HKG) bt Poulomi Ghatak (IND) 11-8, 12-10, 11-7, 12-10
Misako Wakamiya (JPN) bt Beh Lee Wei (MAS) 11-7, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6
Yri Yamanashi (JPN) bt Nanthana Komwong (THA) 11-5, 11-8, 5-11, 6-11, 11-7, 2-11, 21-19
Li Xiaoxia (CHN) bt Neda Shahsavari (IRI) 11-6, 12-10, 11-5, 11-4
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