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Brazilian Open: 13yr old in last 16

Brazilian Open Review

Friday, July 12, 2002

ITTF Press Releases

Fukuhara gaining experience

Sao Paulo, Brazil, 12 July 2002. The young Japanese Ai FUKUHARA has already shown that though only 13 she is strong enough to play on the Pro Tour. Now it seems that she also gained the experience necessary to get out on top even when she is in deep trouble.

In her first round match in Women’s Singles against HAN Kwang Sun (KOR) FUKUHARA was down 3-0, but she managed to turn the match around and win 4-3. The match was close in the first games. HAN won the 1st 16-14 and the Korean was constantly a step forward. She went to 3-0 winning the 3rd 12-10.

Then FUKUHARA however got more aggressive, and suddenly everything changed. The young Japanese took 4 games in a row to advance to the round of the last 16 where she will face 3rd seed LIU Jia (AUT).

All the favourites won their opening matches.


Ryu in Korean trap

Sao Paulo, Brazil, 12 July 2002. The top seed in Women’s Singles, RYU Ji-Hae (KOR) ended up as a victim of one of her compatriots – far away from the final. RYU lost to SUK Eun Mi in the 2nd round without winning a game.

RYU had a great year of 2001 but this year she has often failed to perform her best. In the match against SUK she was beaten “with her own tools”. SUK put constant pressure on her and every time she got the chance with the forehand she punished RYU.
Also the other top Korean KIM Moo Kyo was on the edge. Against HIURA Reiko (JPN) she had to go all the way to the 7th game before she could take it home 11-7.

Keinath surprises once more

Sao Paulo, Brazil 12 July 2002. Last week he surprised everybody reaching the quarter finals in Men’s Singles at the US Open – this week the young German Thomas KEINATH has done it again in Sao Paulo.

In the round of the last 16 he gave one of the World’s best defensive players a lesson. Nr. 36 on the World Ranking CHEN Weixing (AUT) was picking balls up from the floor and before he knew, he had lost 4-0. In the last game he only got 2 points!
KEINATH has a very good hand and he had no problems returning CHEN’s dangerous services – so even when the Austrian was serving KEINATH could go into attack before CHEN found his position.

The Austrian favourite Werner SCHLAGER survived one more match on the edge. Against Torben WOSIK (GER) he was down 3-2, but once more SCHLAGER showed his ability to win even when he is not playing his best.

Zoltan without Boll

Sao Paulo, Brazil, 12 July 2002. German Zoltan FEJER-KONNERTH won the European Championships in Men’s Doubles together with World top player Timo BOLL but Zoltan can also perform without BOLL:

On Friday he ousted the top seed pair at the Brazil Open together with another compatriot, Torben WOSIK. WOSIK is – like BOLL - a lefthander, and the German pairing played very well against the Koreans RYU Seung Min/LEE Chul Seung who recently won the China Open.
The Germans went to 2-0 before the Koreans got their game going. RYU and LEE came back and levelled to 2-2, and in the 5th decisive game they even had 5-1.

The Germans however came back and at the end of the game especially WOSIK came up with some fabulous strokes to bring the Germans into the semi-finals on Saturday.

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