Tough matches were the order of the day in the opening duels in the
Liebherr Men’s World Cup in Liège on Friday 26th September 2008.
Playing
in Group A; both China’s Wang Hao, the no.1 seed and Chinese Taipei’s
Chuan Chih-Yuan needed six games to secure victory.
Wang Hao
beat Austria’s Werner Schlager, the 2003 Men’s Singles World Champion,
13-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-3, 8-11, 11-8. Chuan Chih-Yuan defeated Canada’s
Pradeeban Peter-Paul 8-11, 11-2, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-9.
Not in Best Condition
"After the Olympic Games, I’m not in my best condition", explained Wang Hao. "I not really warmed up."
The
Olympic Games was a competition of the greatest importance; it was the
most important sporting ever to be staged in China, in fact it was one
of the most important events ever to be staged in China. You can delete
the word "sporting".
Motivation and Focus
Simply,
any other event in 2008 has to take second place and for Wang Hao to
focus once again and motivate himself after such a momentous sporting
occasion cannot be easy.
Difficult Moments
Against
Werner Schlager he experienced difficult moments but he prevailed. "It
is always difficult playing Werner Schlager", said Wang Hao. "He has a
good range of services and of course it will take time to get used to
playing without speed glue."
Tested
Similarly Chuan Chih-Yuan was tested by Pradeeban Peter-Paul
"I
think at the start of the match Pradeeban had more luck than me" said
Chuan Chih-Yuan. "He keeps the ball on the table; that is what makes
him a tough player to beat."
Topspin Exchanges
The Canadian, as he did one year ago in Barcelona, revelled in the topspin exchanges and there is notable progress.
Alas
for Canada, at the end of the day his percentage of success was not
high enough, the fact that Chuan Chih-Yuan is accustomed to the hotbed
of table tennis in both Asia and Europe eventually told.
Time Out Crucial
In the sixth game, leading 7-5, Pradeeban Peter-Paul called "Time Out"; the break worked but not for him.
Chuan Chih-Yuan levelled and then sped away.
"I
just tried to keep concentrating, I didn’t do anything different but
did experience some problems concentrating, my preparation was not as
good as it should have been."
It was success for Chuan Chih-Yuan, progress for Pradeeban Peter-Paul.
Source: www.ittf.com
