2003 USA Table Tennis World and Pan Am Trials

Atlanta, GA • March 17-22, 2003

Final Twelve - Round Six

By Larry Hodges

Women

Whitney ... just happy to have finally arrived. Photo by Larry Hodges ©2003.

The big event this round: the arrival of Whitney Ping! She had been stuck in Denver airport due to the seven foot snowfall (yes, seven! As discussed in previous article). She had finally gotten a flight out two days late, and since her results would not count in the Trials, and she had already missed six of her 11 matches, she wasn't going to waste other's time by playing. Ironically, Whitney had arrived ... but her luggage had not!

• Chang Jun Gao d. Amanda Dubina, 5,3,3,4
• Jasna Reed d. Moji Koye, 3,3,6,5
• Jackie Lee d. Simone Yang, 12,7,7,-5,6
• Lily Yip d. Judy Hugh, 7,5,2,5

Once again Gao won with ease, this time over Dubina. So far, we have few (actually, none!) action shots of Gao that are usable simply because often when the photographer goes out to take photos, her match is already done! Gao is not one to waste time. Reed also had a quick 4-0 over Koye.

Daughter vs. Mother: Judy Hugh vs. Lily Yip. Mom won this time. Judy Hugh photo by Ray Swords Photography ©2003; Lily Yip photo by Michael Wetzel ©2003.

The most interesting match this round was the mother-daughter match of Lily Yip versus Judy Hugh - as far as anyone could remember, the first such match between a mother and daughter ever in a USA Team Trial. Both were trying to make the U.S. Team, and the other was in the way. "Lily played like it was the Final of the Worlds!" said Lupulesku of the match. But that's the only way to show Judy what it takes to win at this extremely high level among extremely competitive players. Match to the pips-out penhold hitting Yip over the shakehand inverted all-around player Judy, 7,5,2,5. 

The "Big" match of the round was Simone Yang versus Jackie Lee. This was a match between the current (for the past two Trials) U.S. Team Member Yang versus up-and-coming Lee. Yang is a steady counterdriver, who's quite willing to let the opponent attack, and out-steady them. Jackie has a very aggressive, close to the table style, with strong opening loops, and follow-up hitting or countering. Lee pulled out the first at 12, and the next two easily, both at 7. Yang got back into it in the fourth, but it was too late - Lee was hot in the fifth, and won the match, 12,7,7,-5,6. 

Men

• Ilija Lupulesku d. Jiachen Wang, 6,3,6,8
• Eric Owens d. De Tran, -9,-9,7,9,8,-9,5
• Khoa Nguyen d. Adam Hugh, -9,5,9,6,9
• Darko Rop d. Ashu Jain, -10,-9,7,6,9,7
• Mark Hazinski d. Brian Pace, 10,17,9,5

There were a number of interesting matches this round, so we'll cover them all.

Lupi continued to ... loop along, and improved to 6-0. Photo by Michael Wetzel, ©2003.

Lupulesku continued his run, this time counterlooping the counterlooping Wang, 6,3,6,8.

The Nguyen-Hugh match was especially interesting because, first, both play such clean shots that the rallies were often spectacular, and second, 15-year-old Hugh - well in the running to make the U.S. Team with a 3-2 record - leads the first 9-6. Nguyen scores three in a row, but Hugh wins two straight backhand rallies to take the first, 11-9. The next game is all Nguyen 11-5. In the third, Nguyen leads 10-7, wins 11-9 - but not before Hugh wins a fantastic counterlooping rally to pull to 10-9. The fourth is again all Nguyen, 11-6. In the fifth, it's 9-9 ... 11-9 for Nguyen. It's been a great match between two players who make it seem easy.

Darko Rop seems to be playing better every round. He said he basically stopped playing after the 1996 USA Team Trials, where he had finished fifth, with the top four on the team, and the last spot chosen by the coach - and he wasn't chosen. He stopped playing for four and a half years, but started up again 18 months ago. At this point in the Trials, he's playing about as well as he did back in 1996, with continuous spinning from both sides, and nice serve & receives. Jain barely pulled out the first two games here against Rop at 10 and 9 (with Rop up 10-9 game point in the first). However, from there on, Rop was mostly in topspin control, winning the next four and the match, -10,-9,7,6,9,7. 

De Tran (L) and Eric Owens (R) had a seven-game battle. Tran photo by Michael Wetzel ©2003; Owens photo by Ray Swords Photography ©2003.

Eric Owens had another scare in his USA Team hopes, losing the first two games to the lefty always-spinning De Tran. Owens wins the next three (although the middle game was close at 9). In the sixth, Tran leads 10-6, but Owens wins three in a row. Tran calls a highly successful timeout: as soon as they return to the table, Owens serves off! So it's into the seventh. But the seventh is all Owens, 6-1,8-5,11-5. "He's so much faster than me, I don't know how I went seven games with him," said Tran, all smiles after the match.

The battle of the power loopers was Mark Hazinski and Brian Pace. And Pace had his chances ... up 10-8 in the first, he lost four in a row. The second game? It too went to Hazinski ... 19-17!!! Amazingly, Pace had only one game point, at 16-15 - but he fought off seven game points before Hazinski finally won on his eighth try on a net ball. In the third, Hazinski goes up 6-0 - but Pace scores five in a row. At 9-all, Pace pushes a serve high (RIP!). At 10-9, Hazinski loops, Pace misses a counterloop, and it's 11-9 for Hazinski. The fourth was all Hazinski, 11-5. The bottom line? Hazinski is gaining a reputation for winning in the clutch. Pace had his own analysis of his many close losses during these Trials: "I can't get to 11 first!!!" (Said with flare and language not quite  appropriate for this article....)

2003 USA Team Trials Home Page