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World Champions on top

China Open Review

Sunday, June 2, 2002

ITTF Press Release

Qingdao, China, 2 June 2002. The two Singles World Champions proved on Sunday at the Panasonic China Open that they are still on top of the World.

WANG Nan and WANG Liqin both won the China Open title – and both winning the finals without major problems.

In Men’s Singles WANG Liqin faced compatriot QIN Zhi Jian who normally does best in doubles but here in Qingdao QIN has shown that he also has international potential in singles.

Against WANG however QIN couldn’t survive on his good service and excellent “3rd ball attack”. WANG’s game is simply too consistent, and as soon as the rallies got long, WANG was superior. He took the match, the title and the 15.000 US Dollars winning 4-1.

Women’s Singles was also a Chinese matter, and once more WANG Nan showed that she is several steps ahead of her compatriots. WANG won easily 4-1 over the young NIU Jianfeng.


Korean success in doubles


Qingdao, China, 2 June 2002. The World Champions in Men’s Doubles WANG Liqin/YAN Sen (CHN) couldn’t take one more title for their collection. Instead the Koreans had success on Sunday winning both doubles events at the Panasonic China Open.


LEE Chul Seun/RYU Seung Min (KOR) were the ones to overcome the World Champions in Men’s Doubles. The Koreans had 2-1 and 3-2. In the 6th game they started out to 3-1 but then a discussion about a point broke their concentration and WANG and YAN went to 9-5.
However the Koreans came back and they took their second match point to win the Chinese title.

In Women’s Doubles it was South against North – and the South Koreans SUK Eun Mi/LEE Eun Sil took home the victory beating KIM Hyon Hui/KIM Hyang Mi (PRK) 4-2.


Qin's big chance

Qingdao, China, 2 June 2002. Qin Zhijian (CHN) is a Mixed Doubles World Champion but he never had any really great international results in men’s singles. Now he has the chance meeting his compatriot WANG Liqin in the final of the ITTF Pro Tour Panasonic China Open.


QIN sent home the last foreigner in Men’s Singles beating the Korean OH Sang Eun. QIN has a very good service and OH never got his game going. QIN won 4-2. In the other semi-final World Champion WANG Liqin (CHN) had to play his best to beat his younger compatriot WANG Hao. WANG Liqin won 11-9 in the 7th decisive game. QIN Zhiajin and WANG Liqin met last year in the semi-final of the National Chinese Championships with QIN as the winner. Now he has a chance to do it again and to prove that he is not only a good doubles player.


Grand Finals Replay


Qingdao, China, 2 June 2002. The two Chinese WANG Nan and NIU Jianfeng will do a replay of the Pro Tour Grand Finals 2001 on Sunday afternoon – but of course NIU Jianfeng would like the outcome to be different.


In the Women’s Singles final at the Grand Finals in Tianjin, WANG Nan won quite easily. Now NIU has a chance to change the “balance of power”.
In the semi-finals WANG Nan went through the match against compatriot CAO Xingni without major problems.

NIU Jianfeng had to show more to overcome the young TIE Ya Na who recently turned from representing China to Hong Kong.

TIE played well and forced NIU to make errors, but at the end the Hong Kong player’s game was not consistent enough and she had to leave the tournament as the last not-Chinese.

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