Danish Open: Day 1

Danish Open Review

Saturday, November 23, 2002

ITTF Press Releases

All favourites still in

Lausanne, Switzerland, 22 November 2002. All the favourites are still alive in Women’s Singles at the Farum Danish Open.
As the only one top Korean RYU Ji Hae really had to “fight for her life” against Satoko KISHIDA (JPN).

RYU was down 0-2 before she woke up, but then she won 3 games in a row to take the lead. The match however was not over yet. KISHIDA won the next 11-7 to even to 3-3.
In the 7th game however KISHIDA had run out of fuel. RYU won the game and the match 11-4 to advance together with the other favourites.

RYU is nr. 21 in the Pro Tour Standings, but she still has a chance to qualify for the Grand Finals in Stockholm. In the next round she will face SONG Ah Sim (HKG).

The two top seeded Chinese ZHANG Yining and LI Nan both won their 2nd round matches easily.

World Champion is out

Lausanne, Switzerland, 22 November 2002. The young Swede Magnus MOLIN has lived a quiet live at the Pro Tour in 2002 and he has also been sliding down the World Ranking, but at the last Pro Tour event this year, he really made himself heard.
In the round of the last 32 in Men’s Singles, MOLIN ousted the World Champion WANG Liqin (CHN) beating him 4-1.

WANG never really showed his World Champion potential. MOLIN took the first games quite easily. WANG has always been known as a slow starter, so when he woke up to take the 4th game it could look like the “normal story” about the World Champion being in trouble but winning at the end.
WANG however couldn’t take more than this one game, and MOLIN (nr. 72 in the World) took the match winning the 5th 11-5.

“I never expected to win this match. I have only met WANG once before , and I lost, but today my service returns were very good. When I won the first games, I got more and more confident, and I am very happy to go to the third round” says MOLIN who will now meet doubles partner Jens LUNDQVIST.

MOLIN’s victory was not the only upset in the 2nd round. Two of the top Koreans LEE Chul Seung and OH Sang Eun stumbled, and OH losing was actually something the Danish crowd liked. OH was competing with young Dane Michael MAZE in qualifying for the Grand Finals, and since MAZE went through to the 3rd round he is likely to be the first Dane ever in the singles at the Grand Finals.

Sensation in doubles

Lausanne, Switzerland, 22 November 2002. The Danish spectators witnessed another sensational upset, when top seeds MA Lin and KONG Linghui (CHN) fell out already in the first round of Men’s Doubles.
The Worl’d nr. 1 and the Olympic Champion lost to the World’s nr. 93 and nr. 287 who normally don’t even play doubles together.

However Alfredo CARNEROS (ESP) and WANG Jianfeng (NOR) played an excellent match together and after leading 3-0 they beat MA and KONG 4-2.
“It is the first time ever that we play together so it was a big surprise for us that we could beat them and reach the quarter finals”, says WANG Jiangfeng.

In the other end of the draw the 2nd seeds RYU Seung Min/LEE Chul Seung (KOR) had a tough time as well. They were down 0-3 against Lars HIELSCHER/Torben WOSIK (GER), but they turned things around, evened to 3-3, and in the 7th they walked through to 11-1 to win the match.

In Women’s Doubles things were more normal – all favourites are still in.

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Danish Open: Day 1

All favourites still in

World Champion is out

Sensation in doubles

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