Stiga Pacific Rim Open

Portland, Oregon
November 3-4, 2001
By Mark Kobernick

Pac Rim Open Champion Fan Yi Yong serves to Atanda Musa in the Open Final. Photo by Les Sayre copyright 2001.

The Four-Star Stiga Pacific Rim Open took place in Portland for the thirteenth year on November 3-4. It came off through the collective effort of Portland Table Tennis Club members, friends, and sponsors. Thanks go to Escalade Sports for adding tables to those it gave in the past couple of years, with a mandate to get them into school programs. A long-time player and patron gave funds generously with a tribute to Jim Scott, promoter and organizer of so much table tennis in the Northwest. During Jim’s absence, Sam Ignazzitto – 1998 director of the Nike World Master Games – ably took charge to run a smooth, on-time tournament. Fine sportsmanship ruled among the 162 players. The usual contingent from Canada was lacking, perhaps because of the slow border crossings since September 11.

Again we appreciate Portland Community College for providing its large gymnasium for the event. Sixteen events were played on 20 Stiga tables in round robin games to 21 points. $5,800 in cash prizes plus trophies were awarded.

Open Quarterfinals

The premier Open event featured three women and five men in the quarterfinals. Newcomer to the U.S. Renata Paluchova, a hard-hitting lefty, engaged Jim Butler in some spectacular counterlooping, but succumbed in the second game, 24-26, when she had trouble with Butler’s serves.

Chris Xu, a long-pips chopper on the Canadian Women’s Team, faced Atanda Musa, who flew in with Paluchova from the Big Apple. The match featured fine chopping and great retrievals, but Musa’s patient looping with an occasional, sudden smash and Xu’s missing of several of her own smashes against lobs were decisive, 21-19, 21-15.

In the other quarterfinal matches, Simone Yang lost twice at 14 to Khoa Nguyen, and Kevin Au got 15 and 13 from Fan Yi Yong.

Open Semifinals

Fan Yi Yong vs. Jim Butler (the 1998 Semifinalists)

In the first game, Fan kept a two- to four-point lead most of the game. They counterlooped and hit backhand winners in their respective styles: the ricochet loop and the bullet punch. Fan’s surprise placements gave him the controlling advantage, 21-16. The second game was the closest of the semis. Butler took an early lead, using surprise placement with power. He is still leading at 18 -17. Three near misses give Fan match point. But he loops a serve long and returns the next an inch or two high, and Butler deuces the game with that bullet-punch backhand. At 21-all, Fan serves an ace that Butler pushes into the net. Deuce at 22 as Fan’s return of a loop on the body clips the net but goes off. The next two points, Butler steps around and hits a forehand long: against a high serve and then a high deep push: game and match to Fan, 21-16, 24-22.

Open Semifinals

Atanda Musa vs. Khoa Nguyen

In the other semifinal, Musa and Nguyen also played three games. Musa controlled the first game with good placements to the backhand and arm-reaching quick-off-the-bounce counterhits to the forehand. The second game was the closest and best-played. Nguyen had a stronger backhand and this time stepped around more on his backhand. In the deciding game, Musa got off to an 8-2 lead and stayed ahead with more blocking than before. Variation of pace characterized this game. Musa advances to the final with an 11,-18,13 win.

Open Final

Fan Yi Yong vs. Atanda Musa

The Open Final was well-fought throughout. In the opener, Musa got off to an early lead against Fan with exciting counterhitting from wide to his forehand and from off his body, thanks to fast footwork. At 12-11 Fan takes the lead for the first time, as he gets into his looping mode. Several counterlooping and hitting points are traded. Musa pulls ahead 17-15. Then 17-all on Fan’s hard forehand loop. 18-17 Musa on a fast forehand flip cross-court. In a series of counterloops, Musa mistimes one, 19-all; he springs up and down in alarm. Musa gets a game-point lead with a strange finesse play: Fan twice has a kill ball and feint hits: Musa pushes from below the table to catch the side edge. But Fan wins the next three points and wins on Musa’s push into the net, and a fine counterlooping point, 22-20.

The second game is even better, both finalists warming into the match with plenty of spectacular play. Looping, loop kills by Fan, and counterhitting ruled. Fan leads most of the game by 3 to 6 points, in the second half acing three serves in a row, and a fourth for 19-15. Game point comes at 15 on Fan’s spinny loop as Musa counters long, 21-15 for Fan.

In the third game, Fan starts off with a lead that Musa can never close, but both play with yet more power. The most sensational point of the match was a counterlooping point that went to both wide angles and at the body; Fan wins it to lead 8-5. Mid-game, they display quick-off-the-bounce looping with some backhand winners down the line. Fan takes the game, 21-16, and the first prize of $1,500. Runner-up Musa wins $750.

Women’s Singles

In the Women’s Open, the top four played in a crossover to place themselves in the finals: Xu defeated Yang 21-16 and 21-15, and Paluchova beat Whitney Ping 21-15 and 21-12.

In the first game of the Women’s Final, Paluchova smashes too early in the rally, usually hitting long, as Xu sometimes flips sides on her racket: 21-9 for Xu. Between games, Paluchova confers with Musa.

In game two, she takes a 3-1 lead, but Xu pulls ahead 5-3, her biggest lead of the game. Paluchova regains the lead with patient looping while looking for opportunities to kill. Xu evens the score for the last time at 10, catching the edge with a chop of a wide-fading hit. Paluchova then gets seven straight points, two from Xu’s missing smashes. There are many nice rallies, but Paluchova, with a 20-14 lead, wins comfortably at 17.

The change of sides in game three comes at 4-10, Paluchova down as she reverts to the hasty attacking that lost her the first game. But she ties it up at 11-all, as Paluchova varies her play more and Xu makes some errors: chopping long, pushing too short, and passing up a chance to smash. Xu regains the lead,14-12. Then Paluchova reels off nine straight points, hitting her stride with an overpowering attack, even counter-smashing a winner. Paluchova wins the game 21-14, and the prize of $500.

Under 2500

The Under 2500 final was an interesting rematch as Yang revenged her loss to Paluchova in the Women’s Final. Paluchova had the harder attack and the serve advantage, but in nip-and-tuck play, Yang won at 19 and 19. Paluchova missed some hits, while Yang blocked ably off both wings, using medium pips out on the backhand. She mixed in some counterhits and some slow, spinny loops. Near the end, Paluchova backhand smashed a couple of these long.

Open Singles – Final: Fan Yi Yong d. Atanda Musa, 20, 15, 16; SF: Fan d. Jim Butler, 16, 22; Musa d. Khoa Nguyen, 11, -18, 13; QF: Fan d. Kevin, Au 15, 13; Butler d. Renata Peluchova, 15, 24; Musa d. Chris Xu, 19, 15; Nguyen d. Simone Yang, 14, 14.

Women’s Singles – Final: Renata Peluchova d. Chris Xu, -9, 17, 14; SF: Peluchova d. Whitney Ping, 15, 12; Xu d. Simone Yang, 16, 15.

Under 2500 – Final: Simone Yang d. Renata Peluchova, 19, 19; SF: Yang d. Chris Xu, 15, 13; Peluchova d. Kevin Au, 17, 12.

Under 2300 – Final: Sakda Timsuwan d. Shuja Jafar, 21,19; SF: Timsuwan d. Russ Hamilton, 15, 15; Jafar d. Samson Dubina, -15, 14, 19.

Under 2100 – Final: Sung Yang d. Michael Wang, 16, 21; SF: Yang d. Alex Berenbeym, 21, -15, 19; Wang d. Oscar Roitman, 16, 17.

Under 1900: John Ochsner d. Lani Lei, 19, 14.

Under 1700: Tim Titrud d. Wes Wolfe, default.

Under 1550: Rosco Lock d. Terry Drake, -17, 14, 20.

Under 1250: Roel Aguanta d. Donald Svetich, 19, 17.

Under 1100: Eric Chen d. Ben Li, 14, 17.

Under 900: Ben Li d. David LeDoux,, 18, 18.

Under 700: Bo Liu d. Ken Sandberg, 18, -15, 17.

Under 500: Dale Eshleman d. Shane Friedland, -10, 23, 14.

Over 40: Atanda Musa d. Sung Yang, 13, 11.

Over 50: Phieu Tran d. Richard Friedland, -17, 19, 11.

Under 16: Oliver Lei d. Lani Lei, 16, 15.