Korea’s Joo Se Hyuk executed his outstanding athletic skills to the
full and demonstrated that there is still a home for the defensive
player in modern day table tennis in Doha on Friday 20th February 2009.
In the third round of the Men’s Singles event at the Qatar Open he beat China’s talented Chen Qi.
Joo Se Hyuk won 11-6, 7-11, 9-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8.
On the current ITTF Men’s World Rankings, Joo Se Hyuk stands at no.10 with Chen Qi, three places higher at no.7.
Ominous Signs
The
Korean captured the first game but then signs for a surprise win looked
ominous; Chen Qi played consistently, the left hander executing
forehands topspins directed towards the body of his adversary.
He was patient but as the match progressed, patience ran out and trying to force matters, he made mistakes.
Lost Focus
"Yes, I think he lost concentration", said Joo Se Hyuk. "Also I think his left arm was hurting."
I’m not sure it was hurting, more aching from having to topspin against the Joo Se Hyuk defensive strategy.
Backspin Play
"I
kept defending, I kept trying to return with heavy backspin and play
for long points", added Joo Se Hyuk. "As the match progressed I felt my
best chance of winning was keep defending; it’s one of the few times
I’ve beaten him, I won when we played in the Chinese League recently
but on the three of four other occasions that we have met, I’ve always
lost."
Defeat for Ryu Seung Min
The
defeat of Chen Qi was one of two surprises in the third round of the
Men’s Singles event, the other being the defeat of Joo Se Hyuk’s
colleague, Ryu Seung Min by Hong Kong’s Tang Peng.
Tang Peng, a
right handed shakehands grip player but very different to the world’s
top players of that style in that he uses short pimples on the
backhand, exercised his skill in the use of that material to the full.
Fast Backhand
Attacking
quickly from the backhand, often down the parallel wide to the Ryu
Seung Min forehand, he forced errors whilst capitalising with a strong
forehand topspin when the chance arose.
Victory for Tang Peng,
currently standing at no.35 on the ITTF Men’s World Ranking over the
2004 Olympic champion, currently ranked no.11, came his way 8-11,
11-13, 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6.
Yoon Jae Young Wins
The
wins recorded by Joo Se Hyuk and Tang Peng were both contrary to the
current standing of the players on the ITTF Men’s World Ranking list
and there was a third; once again with a Korean involved.
Yoon
Jae Young beat Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chih-Yuan; he won 11-8, 11-9,
6-11, 11-8, 12-14, 13-11; the Korean currently stands at no.27 on the
rankings with Chuang Chih-Yuan at no.9.
However, there were no further upsets.
Ma Lin and Wang Liqin Succeed
In
the top half of the draw China’s Ma Lin, seeded no.1, beat Hong Kong’s
Ko Lai Chak 11-8, 11-6, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6 whilst colleague, Wang Liqin,
seeded no.4 overcame Croatia’s Zoran Primorac in four straight games.
He
won 11-8, 11-4, 11-7, 11-5 proving to be the master in the art of
counter topspin play, a skill in which Zoran Primorac also excels.
Topspin Duels
Meanwhile,
in the lower half of the draw, Germany’s Timo Boll, seeded no.3 won an
entertaining duel against Japan’s Jun Mizutani, the two players
thrilling those present with dazzling forehand topspin exchanges whilst
in similar mode, China’s Xu Xin beat Portugal’s Joao Monteiro.
Timo
Boll won 7-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8 with Xu Xin overcoming the
spirited Portuguese star 11-7, 11-3, 7-11, 11-7, 14-16, 11-8.
Source: www.ittf.com
