They came more in hope than in anticipation to the Country Hall
Ethias in Liège on Friday 26th September 2008, to support the local
hero, Jean-Michel Saive but being the fourth highest ranked player in
Group D, it was always going to be a tough task and so it proved.
He was beaten in straight games by Hong Kong’s Li Ching. Li Ching won 11-5, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8.
Similarly,
Ryu Seung Min, the no.4 seed was in impressive form. He overcame
Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov 11-9, 11-7, 13-11, 11-6.
Dominant
Li Ching
dominated matters from start to finish; he forced the Belgian star away
from the table time and again, keeping him pinned to the court
surrounds.
He never erred, sometimes playing a block as
opposed to a forehand topspin when Jean-Michel Saive was in the far
reaches of the court. The tactic left the local hero totally flat
footed.
Not Effective
Furthermore,
without the use of speed glue, the defensive topspin play of
Jean-Michel Saive is not so effective; the amount of rotation on the
ball, the speed of the return is not so great, a point Li Ching
acknowledged.
"Yes, his topspin was slower than in the past, we
are all adjusting and we’ve only been playing without the glue since
the Olympics, so for me I’ve only practised with the new situation for
two weeks", the Hong Kong man explained. "Also, I’m used to playing
Jean-Mi; I’m used to his style when he goes fishing."
Practised
The
comment doesn’t mean that Jean-Michel Saive has suddenly gone to the
banks of the local River Meuse; it means he is back from the table
thrilling the crowd with his topspin play.
However, Li Ching
having practised with Jean-Michel Saive for many hours in the 2006-2007
season when they both played for top Belgian club, Royal Villette
Charleroi, was more than comfortable when Saive when searching for
salmon.
"Also, I think Jean-Mi wasn’t really focused today", added Li Ching. "Usually he is much more concentrated when he plays."
Back to Form
Meanwhile, Ryu Seung Min was back to form
At
the OIympic Games in Beijing Ryu Seung Min had suffered; defeat had
followed defeat for the man who four years earlier had won the ultimate
prize in Athens.
However, against Dimitrij Ovtcharov, Ryu Seung
Min was at his athletic best; he is one of the most exciting players in
the world to watch and those present in the Country Hall Liège were
treated to a dazzling show by the fleet of foot Korean.
Received Service Well
"I
received his service well today", said Ryu Seung Min. "I was able to
return his service short and sometimes I was able to attack the
service."
The crucial area of table tennis and the expertise of Ryu Seung Min in the art of service and receive made all the difference.
Everything Good
"Today
everything was good, my body felt good, I was in good shape, I moved
well, my topspin play was good", continued the Korea star. "The first
time I played Dimitrij was at the Volkswagen Open Japan and I lost but
now I’m more used to his play; we played recently in the European
Champions League and I won three-nil, so that gave me confidence for
today’s match."
It was a very confident Ryu Seung Min in action,
it was the Ryu Seung Min of Athens 2004, a sheer delight to watch but
for Dimitrij Ovtcharov, a splendid young man, it was a torrid time.
Source: www.ittf.com
