2003 USA Table Tennis World and Pan Am Trials

Atlanta, GA • March 17-22, 2003

Final Twelve - Round Eleven

By Larry Hodges

Chang Jun Gao and Jasna Reed came in first and second. Photos by Michael Wetzel ©2003.

Women

• Tawny Banh d. Jackie Lee, -7,13,3,8,4

• Chang Jun Gao d. Moji Kuye, 5,3,8,7

• Jasna Reed d. Simone Yang, -7,-3,7,2,4,3

• Lily Yip d. Virginia Sung, -7,11,-9,7,-9,3,4

Gao, Reed and Banh have already clinched their spots. Going into the round, there was the possiblity of a 4-way tie for the fourth and fifth spot between Yang, Lee and Sung. The fourth-place finisher would be on the World and Pan Am team, while the fifth-place finisher would have the option of going to the Worlds as a member of the team, but not funded. (The Pan Am Team has a limit of four players.) For this four-way tie to happen, Lee and Yang would have to upset Banh and Reed, respectively.

Tawny Banh took the third spot. Photo by Michael Wetzel ©2003.

When Lee won the first game against Banh, the possibilities opened up. In the second, Lee went up 4-0, and it became a strong possiblities. But in this streaky match, anything could happen, and Banh scored 8 of the next 9 points to lead 9-5. Of course, Lee then scored the next four, 9-9! Banh went up 10-9, 11-10, 12-11 and 14-13 before finally winning 15-13. Lee had her chance - up 13-12. Lee was still in it - but Banh quickly shut the door, winning the match at -7,13,3,8,4.

Lily Yip took the fourth spot. Photo by Ray Swords Photography ©2003.

With Lee and  Yang eliminated from contention for the fourth spot, whoever won between Lily Yip (5-3) and Virginia Sung (4-4) would get that spot. It was a match-up of pips-out penhold Yip versus the chopping and pick-hitting Virginia Sung, who uses short pips on the backhand for both chopping and hitting. It was a long battle, and after the match, several spectators said it was the best match of the tournament. Yip rarely ended the points quickly - she would loop with the pips, over and over and over, even off somewhat high balls, which were often "traps" by Sung - either heavy backspin, or no-spin balls that looked heavy. Sung's defense, however, was superb. Sung won the first at 7, and led 10-8 in the second - but couldn't hold on, serving into the front side of the table to lose it 13-11. (Yip had each ad in deuce.) Sung won the third at 9, and could have been up 3-0, but was still up 2-1. The fourth was mostly Yip from 5-5 to 11-7. The sixth was Yip's turn for a heartbreaker, as she led 7-3, but lost 11-9. However, the sixth was all Yip, 11-3.

Simone Yang took the fifth spot. Photo by Michael Wetzel ©2003.

So the final spot of the U.S. Women's Team came down to the final, seventh game. But Yip continued her sixth-game serge, and went up 4-0 on her way to winning 11-4. Sung tried throwing in attacks, and even pulled off a spectacular counterloop winner, but the match and the fourth spot on the Team went to Yip, -7,11,-9,7,-9,3,4.

The fifth spot on the World Team wasn't funded, but usually the player goes. For this position, there was a 3-way tie between Simone Yang, Jackie Lee and Virginia Sung. Yang had won over Sung; Sung over Lee; Lee over Yang. When it went to games among themselves, it was Yang first at 5-4 (55.6%), Lee second at 6-5 (54.5%), and Sung third at 4-6 (40%). So Simone Yang will most likely go to the Worlds as the fifth member.

David Zhuang (R) took the first spot on the World and Pan Am Team; Ilija Lupulesku (L) took the second spot on the Pan Am Team. (He is not eligible for the World Team.) Zhuang photo by Ray Swords Photography ©2003; Lupulesku photo by Michael Wetzel ©2003.

Men

• Ilija Lupulesku d. De Tran, -8,2,4,5,3
• Brian Pace d. Jiachen Wang, 6,-7,7,-10,-6,7,6
• David Zhuang d. Darko Rop, 6,8,11,6
• Mark Hazinski d. Khoa Nguyen, -10,5,6,-8,6,1
• Eric Owens d. Ashu Jain, 12,9,12,8

There were three "BIG" matches this round, which would decide the U.S. Team: Lupulesku vs.  Tran, Zhuang vs. Rop, and Hazinski vs. Nguyen. At the start of this round, here was the situation:

• The Pan Am Team was already set: the four members, in order of finish, were David Zhuang, Ilija Lupulesku, Mark Hazinski and Eric Owens. 
• Lupulesku was not eligible for the World Team, so everyone moved up a spot. 
• The World Team would have four funded members, and a fifth optional unfunded spot.
• The first three members of the World Team were, in order of finish, David Zhuang, Mark Hazinski and Eric Owens
• Battling for the fourth (funded) spot and the fifth (unfunded) spot were De Tran, Darko Rop, and Khoa Nguyen. There were eight possibilities - with scenario #5 a three-way tie going to points, with Rop getting the fourth spot by less than a single point over Tran! (Rop: 109-107; Tran: 119-117; Nguyen: 110-114; Rop wins by a fraction of a percentage point.) Also note that Tran had at least the fifth spot locked up. 

Mark Hazinski (L) took the third spot on the Pan Am Team, and the second spot on the World Team. Eric Owens (R) took the fourth and third spots. Hazinski photo by Ray Swords Photography ©2003; Owens photo by Michael Wetzel ©2003.

So, this is what actually happened:

For those of you who didn't think the "Tran d. Lupulesku" scenarios were realistic, Tran wins the first, 11-8. But perhaps Tran looked at the scenarios and realized this one just wasn't in the cards. Match to Lupulesku, -8,2,4,5,3, 44-14 in the last four games. So the scenarios were cut in half.

 Zhuang had fantastic rallies, but Rop just didn't have enough pure power to go past Zhuang's side-to-side blocking, and while he battled hard, it was Zhuang 4-0, 6,8,11,6. So now we were down to two scenarios (#7 and #8 above), depending on the Nguyen-Hazinski match, the match that looked most competitive, and the last match to finish. As you can see from above, things were wide open, with all three still in the running for one of the spots. In fact, if Nguyen were to win, he'd not only be going to the worlds, but one of his old practice partners (before he got an MD and started medical practice in New York City) De Tran would be fifth - and who was coaching Nguyen this match but Dr. De Tran himself! Ironically, Tran was now a lock for one of the positions, but if Nguyen - who he was coaching, remember - wins, he's fifth; if Nguyen loses, then he's the funded fourth player! 

De Tran (L) took the fourth spot on the World Team; Darko Rop (R) took the fifth spot on the World Team. Photos by Michael Wetzel ©2003.

Hazinski leads 10-7 in the first - but Nguyen scores five in a row to win, the last one when Hazinski serves into the net. (And someone immediately asked me if Hazinski was dumping, since his spot was secure, and this would put Nguyen on the team instead of Rop - but Hazinski showed otherwise.) Hazinski dominates the next two games, but Nguyen takes the fourth to tie it up. From there on, it's all Hazinski, 11-6 in the fifth, and 11-1 in the sixth. 

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