Korea’s 27 year old Park Mi Young used her defensive skills to full
effect to win the Women’s Singles crown at the Japan Open in Wakayama
on Sunday 14th June 2009 beating the host nation’s Sayaka Hirano in the
final.
In a contest between the top two seeded players, it was
the top seed who prevailed. She succeeded in five games, winning by the
margin of 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-4.
A bronze medallist in the Women’s Team event at the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games, her solid backspin play eventually broke the heart of 24
year old Sayaka Hirano.
Second Time
It
was the second time the pair had met in a world ranking event and it
was the second career Women’s Singles title on the ITTF Pro Tour for
Park Mi Young.
In June 2006, the pair met in the first round of
the Women’s Singles event at the Volkswagen Open China with Park Mi
Young emerging victorious; as in Wakayama, on that occasion she won in
five games.
The one previous Women’s Singles title on the ITTF Pro Tour came in 2006 in Santiago when she captured gold at the Chile Open.
Enjoying a Successful Year
Currently
standing at no.21 on the ITTF Women’s World Rankings, Park Mi Young
seems set to move higher and perhaps match her career high ranking of
no.17; a position she held in March 2007.
Recent results have
been encouraging; she reached the fourth round of the Women’s Singles
event at the H.I.S. World Championships in Yokohama in early May,
losing by the very narrowest of seven game margins to Singapore’s Feng
Tianwei, whilst on the ITTF Pro Tour in 2009, she has excelled.
At
last week’s Harmony China Open she was a quarter-finalist but more
worthy of note was her performance at the Qatar Open in Doha in
February.
On that occasion she beat China’s Ding Ning, playert
in form having won gold the previous week in Kuwait, before eventually
falling at the semi-final stage.
Fourth Final Appearance
Meanwhile, for Sayaka Hirano it was her fourth appearance in a Women’s Singles final on the ITTF Pro Tour.
In
2006 she won in Serbia and earlier in 2009 she succeeded in Germany;
whilst in 2007 she was the runner up in Chile; in Wakayama, second
place was again her lot.
Successful Tournament
Nevertheless,
she could reflect on a successful tournament; she had silver and gold
in her pocket having earlier in the day won the Women’s Doubles crown
with Reiko Hiura.
In the Women’s Singles event the second step on the medal podium was her eventual lot.
Source: www.ittf.com
