Olympics – Women’s Events

After 10 days of practice in San Diego and a 13-hour flight from Los Angeles, we arrived in Sydney on September 8 at 7:30 AM local time. The processing through customs and immigration and then through the Olympic village were very well organized, and around 10 AM all members were accommodated.

We had practice twice a day until the day before the competition, when we had a short session (90 minutes) because of the opening ceremony. The women’s competition started on September 16 with women’s doubles.

USA had two teams, Gao Jun/Michelle Do and Jasna Reed/Tawny Banh. Gao and Michelle were in a group with Qianhong Gotsch/Jie Schopp (GER) and Wang Xiao Xiao/Chris Xu (CAN). The German team won the first game easily, 21-9, as Michelle couldn’t loop on the table – playing in your first Olympics is nerve-racking. In the second game she played better, making very good shots and sometimes smashing the ball well. Gao played well all the time and she encouraged Michelle. Gao and Michelle won the second game 24-22. The third game went well until 18-all when, under great pressure, Michelle missed three easy pushes. 21-18 for the Germans.

In the second match, Gao and Michelle played against Wang/Xu. They lost the first game 21-15, but won the next two at 14 & 20. Gao and Michelle finished second in this group, but they had chances to win the group.

Tawny and Jasna were in a group with Elke Schall/Nicole Struse (GER) and Li Chunli/Li Karen (NZL). They started out against New Zealand. In the first game Tawny and Jasna started very well, leading by 5-6 points much of the way, but Li-Li came back and won the first game 21-16. The New Zealand team also won game two, 21-8. Both players from New Zealand are former Chinese players.

In their second match Tawny and Jasna played against Germany’s Schall/Struse but lost, 12 & 15.

The two upsets in women’s doubles were the victory of Miao Miao/Shirley Zhou (AUS) who defeated Ni Xia Lian/Regenwetter (LUX), -16, 13, -19, 18, 13, in the round of 16, and Aganovic/Boros (CRO) in a nail-biter against #8 seeded Jing Jung Hong/Li Jia Wei (SIN), 16, -15, -9, 25, 23.

In the first quarter Li Ju/Wang Nan (CHN) won against Aganovic/Boros (CRO) 3-1. After they lost first game 23-21, the Chinese team easily won the next three, 4, 12, 5.

In the second quarterfinal, Kim Moo Kyu/Ryu Ji Hye (KOR) pulled out another nail-biter against Badescu/Steff (ROM), 18,-20, 14, -23, 19.

In the third quarterfinal, Batorfi/Toth (HUN) defeated Lee Eun Sil-Suk Eun Mi (KOR), 19, 16, 21.

In the fourth quarterfinal, Sun Jin/Yang Ying(CHN) easily defeated Miao Miao/Shirley Zhou (AUS), 13, 11, 17.

The most exciting match in the women’s doubles competition was Li Ju/Wang Nan (CHN) against Kim Moo Kyu/Ryu Ji Hye (KOR). After four games in which both pairs played well, the game score is 2-2. Both pairs played very well with strong shots and long rallies, and late in the fifth, the umpire called the expedite rule. The match goes to deuce in the fifth. Then Korea goes up 21-20. At this point, after 2-3 shots, Wang Nan barely reaches the ball and she makes a soft return. The ball is high enough for Riu Ji Hye to kill, but she plays a soft counterdrive in the middle of the table. Li Ju returns the ball on the table with a soft forehand, Kim Moo Kyu did the same, and then Wang Nan makes a soooft loop. The ball flies in the air and lands on the net and then touches the table. Ryu Ji Hye couldn’t return it, and the score is 21-all. China finally wins, -17, 12, -15, 14, 22.

In the other semifinal Sun Jin/Yang Ying (CHN) defeated Batorfi/Toth(HUN), -17, 18, 14, 17.

The bronze medal match was more exciting. Korea’s Kim Moo Kyu/Ryu Ji Hye won the first two close games against Hungary’s Batorfi/Toth, then lost two nail-biters before pulling out the 19-in-the-fifth medal match, 18, 19, -22, -19, 19.

The all-Chinese final was routine for Li Ju/Wang Nan, who defeated Sun Jin/Yang Ying at 18, 11, 11.

The U.S. players had to play in qualification round robin groups of three players.

Jasna Reed was in a group with Csilla Batorfi (HUN) and Kaffo Bosede (NGR). In the first match Jasna played Batorfi, and won the first game 21-17, playing well and returning most of Batorfi’s serves effectively. Batorfi started to mix up the serves and Jasna missed many returns. She lost the next three games and the match, -17, 14, 12, 10. She then defeated Bosede easily, 17, 15, 16.

Tawny Banh was in a group with Lee Eun Sil (KOR) and Wang Xiao Xiao (CAN). Being in the Olympics for the first time, Tawny was very emotional and was under a lot of pressure. In the first match she lost to Lee Eun Sil (KOR), 7, 8, 17, with the Korean playing very fast and smashing over and over. In the second match, Tawny lost against Xiao Xiao, 15, 20, 20. She led in the second and third games, but Xiao Xiao fought back, had a few lucky balls and won both games.

Gao Jun played against Zhou Stella (AUS), and Bakula Andrea (CRO), and won both 3-0, and so won the group and was the only USA woman to advance to the main (round of 32) draw.

In the round of 32 Gao Jun played Ryu Ji Hye (KOR). In the first game Ryu took the lead from the beginning, Gao fought back but she missed a few high balls trying to play too wide angles. Gao won the second game, taking the lead from the beginning and holding it until the end of the game. In the third, at 15-14 for Ryu, Gao missed a high ball, and Ryu got two lucky net balls and win the game, 21-15. Ryu won the fourth game and the match, 17, -15, 15, 10.

In the first big upset of the competition, #4 seed Sun Jin (CHN) lost against Jing Jun Hong (SIN), 16, 18, 7.

After an very exciting match, Geng Lijuan (CAN) edged out #9 seeded Tamara Boros (CRO), including a crazy 29-27 fourth game: -18, 19, -21, 27, 14.

Asa Svensson (SWE) defeated #8 seeded Jing Tian-Zoerner (GER), 18, 13, -18, -19, 18.

#1 seeded Wang Nan (CHN) defeated Li Jia Wei (SIN) 3-2 in a match that almost became the biggest upset of the competition. Li Jia Wei was up 2-1 in games and 20-16 quadruple match point in the fourth, but Wang Nan served two underspin serves, and Li Jia missed both returns. Then Wang became more aggressive and came back to 20-20. Li Jia had another match point, 21-20, but Wang won three points in a row and the game. In the fifth game, Wang took the lead from the beginning and held it all the way, winning the fifth game and the match, -18, 18, -19, 21, 16.

Chire Koyama (JPN) defeated Chen Tong F.M (TPE), -24, -20, 6, 9, 15. After she was down 0-2, Koyama won the next three games easily. Other results this round included three matches that went deuce or 19 in the fifth!

Qianhong Gotsch (GER) d. Suk Eun Mi (KOR), -17,17,-19,17,19.

Chen Jing (TPE) d. Krisztina Toth (HUN), 14,9,14.

Jing Jun Hong (TPE) d. Geng Lijuan (CAN), -16,23,-13,20,21.

Mihaela Steff (ROM) d. Asa Svensson (SWE), -13,16,-18,10,13.

Ryu Ji Hye (KOR) d. Konishi Ai (JPN), 17,20,-15,-17,20.

Li Ju (CHN) d. Ni Xia Lian (LUX), 15,11,15.

Wang Nan (CHN) vs. Chire Koyama (JPN): Wang wins three straight, 19, 8, 20.

Chen Jing (TPE) vs. Qianhong Gotsch (GER): Gotsch was up 2-0 but then Chen took over and won the next two games. In the fifth game, at 15-all, Chen started to play stronger and she won the game and match, -17, -19, 13, 10, 17. In the third game, Gotsch’s coach was asked to leave the playing field for illegal coaching.

Jing Jun Hong (SIN) vs. Mihaela Steff (ROM): Jing staged another upset, knocking out #10 seeded Steff, and winning the match 20, 12, -19, 20. In the first game Steff was up 19-16, ,but Jing fought back and won the game 22-20.

Li Ju (CHN) vs. Ryu Ji Hye (KOR): After losing the first, Li wins relatively easily, -12, 14, 19, 5.

Wang Nan (CHN) vs. Chen Jing (TPE): After losing the first game, Wang played stronger and stronger, and was up 17-13 in the second. But Chen Jing came back with five in a row and took the lead, 18-17. Wang prevailed to take the game, 22-20. In the third, Chen started very well, leading 4-1 and 7-3, but Wang again came back and won 21-17. In the fourth, Wang took an early lead and held it till the end. Match to Wang, -12, 20, 17, 15.

Li Ju (CHN) vs. Jing Jun Hong (SIN): After losing the first game, Li played stronger, attacked harder and won the next two games easily. In the fourth she led all the way and won, 21-19. Match to Li, -15, 13, 12, 19.

Chen Jing (TPE) vs. Jing Jun Hong (SIN): In the first game Jing Jun attacked harder than normal, and Chen Jing made some easy errors. But Chen Jing recovered well and won the next three games easily. Match and bronze medal to Chen, -18, 14, 15, 10.

Left: Wang Nan. Right: Li Ju. Copyright 2000 by John Oros.

Wang Nan (CHN) vs. Li Ju (CHN): Wang Nan and Li Ju, who had earlier won Women’s Doubles, know each other’s game very well and both made many errors because of this. Wang easily won the first game, 21-12, but lost her concentration in the second game, letting Li Ju to win this game, 21-12. Li Ju succeeded in winning the third game, 21-19, after many long rallies dominated by forehand topspin shots and counterattacks. Wang won the fourth game, 21-17, taking the lead from the beginning. In the final game both players matched each other point for point, but Wang proved that she is stronger mentally and won the match, 12, -12, -19, 17, 18.

Wan Nan proved one more time that she is the best in the World, being very strong both mentally and physically, and having very good technique. No doubt she was not born with these qualities but worked very hard for many years in order to reach this level, and she gave up many things in her life to do so. I wish we could do the same thing in the U.S. Maybe one day we will!

I want to thank everyone from the San Diego table tennis club for the wonderful time and very good conditions we had there during our stay there.