Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Dominated by China
|
The Hyderabadis were recently treated to some best table tennis matches at the Asian junior championships where world-class Under-18 players gave their best hit at the ping pong, writes A. JOSEPH ANTONY.
|
Chinese Taipei's Wu Chih Chi, packed considerable power. — Photos: K. Ramesh Babu
THE TWIN Cities were treated to some world-class table tennis during the Asian junior championships at the Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy indoor stadium at Yousufguda last week.
In the fray were teams from China, Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei, all of them heavyweights in the game. Restricted to boys and girls Under-18 years, some of the International Table Tennis Federation's top rankers adorned the field. Among them were world junior No. 2 Li Xiaoxia, Fan Ying (3), Peng Luyang (5) among the girls and Zheng Changgong (3) and Zhang Jike (5) in the boys section.
If true class was under test, it was exemplified in the boy's singles final between Zheng Changgong, world No. 3 and rank outsider Kim Tae Hoon. Zheng went down quite tamely in the first three sets. Hoon had only to wrap up another game before the Asian boys singles laurel would be his.
Instead, Changgong changed tack to prove his mettle. Until then, Hoon in patent Korean style, would take the ball on the rise and cut short the exchanges, often right after serve, with a flick or a cross court push. Zheng loaded more backspin into his serves, added even more variation in them and presently had the Korean lad on the backfoot, so to say.
Changgong in the first three games made contact with the ball a shade too early and seemed low on luck. Undeterred, he went on the offensive, a mode southpaws such as him, can turn on almost at will. The burst of fierce forehand loop drives from the Chinese left-hander blew the inexperienced Korean over. The boys singles crown was Zheng's after he came back from the brink to post a 9-11, 6-11, 10-12, 11-1, 12-10, 11-6, 11-8 verdict.
Lim Jae Hyun epitomised the Korean style.
On the distaff side, ninth ranked Li Qian upstaged Peng Luyang (fifth in world listings). The girls' section featured an all-Chinese semi-final line-up, which slackened the action considerably, since it was all between friends and compatriots. Nonetheless, the supremacy of the Chinese, the little `upsets' apart, was unquestionable.
To Qian's credit, however, should go her 8-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-9, 11-4 subjugation of teammate and world No. 2 Li Xiaoxia in the round of four. Luyang had stifled Fan Ying, third in the world, 12-10, 4-11, 13-15, 11-8, 11-13, 11-8, 11-8.
Chinese dominance was so much in evidence that the crowd invariably backed the underdogs, be they Koreans, Japanese or from arch rival national Chinese Taipei. There was a small, colourful and loyal contingent of Hyderabad-based Koreans, who turned out to vociferously support their nation's players.
It, therefore, came as no surprise that the Hyderabadis rooted for Lim Jae Hyun in the semi-finals. There was a certain grace in the lanky paddler's game, his long arms reaching out to retrieve the ball moving swiftly out of bounds.
Equally vocal were they in their cheering for Chinese Taipei's Wu Chih Chi, a player who packed considerable power in virtually every stroke, matched by lightning speed. Sadly, the first named warrior's challenge ended in the semi-finals and Chi's in the second round of the main draw.
There was, however, cause for cheer for the Koreans, who clinched both the boys and girls doubles titles. Mizutani Jun of Japan and Nam So Mi of Korea clinched the cadets boys and girls crowns.
There was much mirth for the locals on seeing a bearded player from the Middle East, competing in the cadets category, meant for children under 15 years!
The event kicked off with an impressive laser display that had the audience gaping. Despite lacking sponsorship, the organisers, the Andhra Pradesh Table Tennis Association and the Table Tennis Federation of India, conducted the six-day meet with a fair measure of organisational skill.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
|
