China regains in Asian Junior table tennis

July 28, 2005 


China emerged champions in the boys and girls' singles in the 11th Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships, which concluded in Delhi on Thursday.

Chinese players finished 1-2 in the boys and girls' singles, clinched the top spot in girls' doubles and finished second to Taipei in boys' doubles at the NDMC stadium.

None of the Indian pairs in the boys and girls' were able to cross the quarter-final stage.

In the cadet group boys, India's Soumyajit Ghosh put up a brave show against Jung Young Sik of Korea by taking the first two games in the semi-finals but Sik fought back to win 12-14, 3-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-2.

The girls' cadet semi-finals saw India's Neha Aggarwal bowing to Singapore's Sim Kai Xena 3-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8.

Lin Chen, 10th-ranked Chinese, comfortably beat teammate Liu Miao in the boys' final, winning 11-7, 13-11, 11-8, 11-6.

Chen had earlier defeated Korea's Lee Jin Kwon 11-4, 11-4, 11-10, 11-8 in the semi-finals.

The other semi-final saw fourth-ranked Lee Sang Soo of Korea challenging Liu Miao in a keenly-contested match. Soo lost the first three games and just when Liu when was thinking of wrapping up the match, Soo staged an amazing comeback, winning the next three 11-1, 11-9, 11-8. The decider went in Miao's favour 11-3.

The all-Chinese affair in girls' singles followed them booking all four spots in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

Feng Yalan won the title getting past Peng Xue 11-7, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9.

Both the girls' semi-finals threw up exciting encounters. Feng fought hard with Yao Yan before grounding her team-mate 12-10, 11-5, 9-11, 12-10, 10-12, 12-10.

Similarly, Peng also came through a marathon match, beating Liu Chun 7-11, 11-3, 5-11, 9-11, 14-12, 11-9, 11-8.

In the boys' doubles final, Taipei's Chiang Hung Chi Eh and Huang Sheng Sheng outclassed China's Li Yang and Jiang Haiyang 11-6, 13-11, 9-11, 11-6 while in the girls' doubles Feng

Yalan and Liu Chun of China beat Yao Yan and Peng Xue 11-5, 11-9, 12-14, 7-11, 11-8.

India's Balgu Aman and Arpit Bhopalkar went down to eventual runners-up Yang-Haiyang 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 while Aniket Koparkar and Devesh Karia lost to Chou Tung Yu and Shen Chi Ming 11-2, 11-9, 11-9, both in the quarter-finals.

The home team's lone pair in the girls' doubles, Madhurika Patkar and Ashlesha lost to Korea's Shim Se Rom and Jin Dal Rae 11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 13-11 in the round of eight.

The mixed doubles title went to Kishikawa Seiya and Terui Moemi of Japan, who upstaged team-mates Mizutani Jun and Ono Shiho 11-8, 14-12, 4-11, 12-10.