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46^th World Table Tennis Championships

Osaka, Japan · April 23 - May 6, 2001

Germany Ends USA Women's Ride; Teams into Final 16 in Division One

By Larry Hodges

Let’s face it. Many of us in the U.S. have so much confidence that Chang Gao Jun is going to win against anyone outside the Chinese team or others of that level that it was almost a given that USA would "start out" up 2-0 on Germany. But nobody told Germany’s Elke Schall, world #57. Gao, who was #3 in the world just a few years ago, has dropped to #35, a ranking most of don’t take seriously. Against Schall, a very tall two-winged looper, Gao seemed erratic, missing both blocks and her opening forehand over and over. Schall took an early lead and held it to the end, 21-15.

In the second, our faith in Gao was restored: 21-13. (As someone said, "This game is very important.") With Gao up 4-0 in the third, it’s time to move on to the next match, as Gao will surely make short work of Schall. By now, of course, you’ve all guessed that Gao is not going to win. From 4-0 she’s up 6-4 – and then loses the next eight in a row. (A timeout at 6-9 didn’t help.) When’s the last time anyone’s scored eight in a row on Gao? From 6-12, Gao makes it to 9-13, but then loses another four in a row, 9-17. At 11-17, Germany calls a timeout, as if still worried that Gao can come back. Match to Schall, 15,-13,15.

Before, the plan was for USA’s Jasna Reed to win one of her two against players she’s played many times before when she played on the Yugoslavia team – she’d get two shots, and Tawny would get a shot as well. But now they’d have to win at least two.

Jasna goes up against Nicole Struse, world #45 (to Jasna’s #125 – but Jasna used to be much higher than Struse, when she trained). Struse wins the first 21-9. In the second, Jasna goes up 6-3, there is hope … Jasna loses nine in a row, and things don’t look good at 6-12. Then it’s 10-12, and Germany calls a timeout. At 14-16, Struse pulls away to 14-19 and 15-20. Jasna scores three in a row, but match to Struse, 9 & 18.

Now it’s Tawny Banh (world #144) vs. chopper Jie Schopp (#26). A mismatch? But Tawny has one thing going for her: There are hundreds of Japanese elementary school children in the stands, and Dr. Michael Scott has managed to lead them all in a "Tawny! Tawny! Tawny!" cheer! It goes on and on, and spreads all over the stadium, almost like the "Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!" cheers in the movie called "Rudy." But there is no movie called "Tawny," and while Tawny does go up 12-10 in the first, that quickly changes to 13-17 down, and first game to Schopp, 21-17. In the second it’s all tied up at 2-2 ("Tawny! Tawny! Tawny!") but that quickly changes to 2-8 in favor of the German. ("Tawny! Tawny! Tawny!") Match to Schopp, 17 & 11. Tawny plays a lot of good points, but just doesn’t have the power or the controlling change-of-pace game to win this one.

So Germany advances to the final 16 where they’d play China this afternoon (did USA really want to play them?) while USA plays off for positions 17 to 24. It was a good ride the USA women gave us, and we really had a chance here if Gao had Gaoed her opponents (at least until the next round when they would have been … Chinaed?).

In other Division One matches (with winners to move into final 16 along with the eight teams that were seeded out), Yugoslavia d. Belgium 3-2; Croatia d. Greece 3-0; Austria d. Russia 3-1; Belarus d. Luxembourgh 3-1; Hong Kong d. Sweden 3-0; Canada d. Malaysia 3-2; and Czech d. Thailand 3-2. 

Results and round of sixteen match-ups are at the Women's Division One Draw. 

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