When is the best time to play one of China’s star players? Never or when blindfold, might be the appropriate answer, or could it be after a major tournament?
Following the Evergrande Real Estate World Team Championships in Guangzhou earlier this year, Ma Lin lost in the third round of the Men’s Singles event to Korea’s Joo Se Hyuk. In the opening round of the Men’s Singles event at the Volkswagen Pro Tour Grand Finals, which commence in Macau on Thursday 11th December 2008, Ma Lin faces Joo Se Hyuk.
Lull in Fortunes
Since winning the Men’s Singles title at the Olympic Games in August, Ma Lin has experienced, by his remarkably high standards, a lull in fortunes.
At the Panasonic China Open in September he was beaten at the semi-final stage by colleague Hao Shuai, he did not play in the Liebherr Men’s World Cup and at the Chinese National Championships he suffered a quarter-final reverse.
He was beaten by the eventual winner Zhang Jike.
Good News for Joo Se Hyuk?
So, surely all this bodes well for Joo Se Hyuk?
Not so; at the Panasonic China Open immediately following the Olympic Games Joo Se Hyuk departed proceedings in the semi-finals. The man to beat him, Ma Lin!
China versus Korea
Still Joo Se Hyuk can live in hope in a Men’s Singles draw that sees four Chinese players in the top half of the draw and three of them drawn against Korean opposition.
Seeding is based on the final position the player achieved on the ITTF Pro Tour Standings; in addition to top seed Ma Lin facing Joo Se Hyuk, fourth seed Ma Long faces Yoon Jae Young whilst sixth seed Chen Qi confronts Ryu Seung Min.
The one other contest in the top half of the draw sees seventh seed, Wang Liqin face Hong Kong’s Cheung Yuk.
Marooned
Four of the five Chinese stars in the top half of the draw leaves Wang Hao, seeded two, somewhat marooned in the lower half of proceedings.
He faces European opposition in the guise of Denmark’s Michael Maze, one of the sports most gifted players and the Dane can approach the match in confident mood.
Memories of Shanghai
In world ranking events Michael Maze has never lost to Wang Hao!
They have met on one previous occasion; the fourth round of the Men’s Singles event at the Volkswagen 48th World Championships in Shanghai; on that occasion Maze used his high topspin back from the table tactics to beat the Chinese star.
Furthermore, Maze won in four straight games.
An intriguing encounter but I suspect if Maze retreats and lobs as he did in 2005, the result might not be the same.
Lower Half
Meanwhile, in the remaining matches in the lower half of he draw, third seed Vladimir Samsonov meets Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov, a player against whom he has never lost in a world ranking event whilst fifth seed, Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chih-Yuan confronts the host association’s Leong Kim Wa and eighth seed, Hong Kong’s Jiang Tianyi faces colleague, Li Ching.
Men’s Doubles
Chuang Chih-Yuan and Jiang Tianyi both appear in the Men’s Doubles event with the former partnering Wu Chih-Chi and the latter Tang Peng; Chuang Chih-Yuan and Wu Chih occupy the no.2 seeded spot and like top seeds, Singapore’s Gao Ning and Yang Zi, receive an opening round bye, there being six pairs in the competition.
Jiang Tianyi and Tang Peng face the French duo of Emmanuel Lebesson and Adrien Mattenet whilst in the one other first round contest the Russian duo of Alexei Liventsov and Igor Rubtsov meet Macau’s Chen Wenig-Heng and Leong Kin Wa.
Under 21 Men’s Singles
Emmanuel Lebesson and Adrien Mattenet also appear in the Under 21 Men’s Singles event; Lebesson is in Group A alongside Portugal’s Marcos Freitas, Singapore’s Ma Liang and Chinese Taipei’s Chiang Hung-Chieh whilst Adrien Mattenet is in Group B with his adversaries being Russia’s Kirill Skackov, Singapore’s Liu Zhong Ze and the Czech Republic’s Lubomir Jancarik.
Schedule
Play commences with the Under 21 events on Thursday 11th December 2008 followed by the opening rounds of the doubles competitions; the singles events commence on Friday 12th December 2008.
Source: www.ittf.com
