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Men's Final Twelve By Larry Hodges Big news came early when top-seeded Ilija Lupulesku withdrew from singles and doubles. He said he'd been sick for 4-5 days, with a stuffed and aching head. Since there was an opening, a drawing was made of the eight players who had lost in the round before the quarters in the main draw. After a pair of coin flips, it came down to Dan Seemiller or Tahl Leibovitz - and the "Lucky Loser" was . . . Tahl! It was a strange turn of events as Tahl was the only one of the eight to lose his match 0-4 (to Marcus Jackson). Six of the matches had been 2-4, and one 1-4. This lead to a rather unbalanced draw, with the groups (in order of rating) now as follows: Group One Cheng Yinghua (2655, MD) Shao Yu (2562, NY) Adam Hugh (2500, NJ) - withdrew - see below Tahl Leibovitz (2452, NY) - "Lucky Loser" Niraj Oak (2411, TX) John Leach (2354, CO) Group Two David Zhuang (2672, NJ) Eric Owens (2618, IL) Mark Hazinski (2584, TX) Samson Dubina (2504, OH) Timothy Wang (2370, TX) - actually 2474, see below Marcus Jackson (2350, MD) - actually 2507, see below Several other factors made the draw rather unbalanced, with Group Two seemingly much stronger. First, Adam Hugh was hobbling about with a torn left ACL (a knee injury). After worsening the condition in his first match (losing to Shao Yu), he too withdrew. And second, while the #5 and #6 players in Group Two, Timothy Wang and Marcus Jackson, were listed as 2370 and 2350, their new ratings (after the Teams in Baltimore) are 2474 and 2507. With Adam out, they would have been #3 and #4 in group one. Adam tore his ACL playing Ultimate Frisbee. Without surgery, he won't be able to play sports or even walk normally. He expects to get the surgery soon, and then undergo 6-9 months of rehab. As a college student (senior finance major at Princeton - how quickly times passes), he doesn't train for table tennis anymore, but still plays for fun. And now on to the matches! We can't cover every match, just most of the big or interesting ones. Group One With Lupulesku out of the group, four-time U.S. Men's Champion Cheng Yinghua - a seemingly ageless 50 years old - mostly dominated his first four matches, defeating Tahl Leibovitz (5,-9,3,8,9), Niraj Oak (8,3,10,4), John Leach (-8,7,2,-11,4,6), and Adam Hugh by default. His final match would be against second-seeded Shao Yu - and we'll get to that. Shao Yu, on paper, seemed a big favorite to finish at least second, with his 2562 rating. He defeated Adam Hugh (the only match the hobbling Adam played), at -9,4,4,8,5; Tahl Leibovitz at 12,3,7,7 (with Tahl almost coming back in game one from down 6-10); and John Leach at 9,3,9,5. However, he met a brick wall - or should we say a very solid wooden wall? - in the person of Niraj Oak, the steady blocker who had already made the final of Over 40 Men. Shao took a 3-1 lead in games, and seemed to be dominating. But Niraj fought back, and came back to win, -5,-10,11,-4,5,9,10. Niraj said, "I played into his forehand every chance. You can't play into his pips-out backhand, that shot is just too strong." With his win over Shao, it seemed all Niraj had to do was defeat Tahl Leibovitz and he'd advance. The match was a long seven-game battle, and at first it looked like Tahl would win in this battle of strong backhands and backhand serves. After losing the first at 5, Tahl mostly dominated the next three at 1 (!), 9 and 7. His steady backhand looping, sudden forehand loops, constant changes of pace and direction, tricky serves, and just about everything else he could throw on the table, threw Niraj's timing off. However, Niraj, perhaps smelling the semifinals of the U.S. National Championships, fought back. Down 1-3 in the fifth, Niraj scored five in a row and went on to win, 11-6. In the sixth, Niraj led 9-7 - but three points later, he faced match point, 9-10. Niraj then led 11-10 and 12-11, then faced another match point at 12-13. Niraj went up 14-13, but Tahl deuced it with a net ball. But Niraj found a ball to smash, and Tahl's steady backhand finally missed, and Niraj won, 16-14, to force a seventh. In that decisive seventh, Niraj decisively won, leading 3-0, 8-4, 11-5. So Niraj finishes at 4-1, and expects to advance. Cheng is 4-0, Shao is 3-1, and they have to play. Cheng (2655) is strongly favored over Shao (2562) - but Cheng has already clinched coming in first, while Shao is fighting for his life, or at least to advance. Cheng is Mr. Steady with a nice backhand loop, while Shao is Mr. smack in backhand winners. And smack in winners he does, especially in game seven (not to mention game four), as Shao upsets Cheng, -9,8,-4,3,8,-6,2. So Cheng, Shao and Niraj all finish 4-1, and so it goes to the game record among the three. Cheng is 7-4; Shao is 7-7; Niraj is 4-7; and so Cheng advances in first, Shao in second, and Niraj will play off for 5-8. Final results for the group: 1.
Cheng Yinghua (MD), 4-1/7-4 2.
Shao Yu (NY), 4-1/7-7 3. Niraj Oak (TX), 4-1/4-7 4. John Leach (CO), 2-3 5. Tahl Leibovitz (NY), 1-4 6. Adam Hugh (NJ), 0-5 (four defaults) Group Two Today, Dec. 19, is "National Underdogs Day." (I'm not making this up!) And so we'll start off with... Mark Hazinski vs. Samson Dubina Mark's now a junior majoring in Exercise Science at Texas Wesleyan. While he said he still practices five days a week, his game seems to have lost some of its edge. To reach the Final Twelve, he'd had six-game struggles already with juniors Amaresh Sahu and Yahao Zhang. Both Mark and Samson play similar two-winged looping games, and like to get right to topspin. There was little short game here - against short serves, both mostly topspinned their backhands over the table or flipped the forehand. Mark had a bit more power, but Samson kept ripping winners off the bounce, especially when Mark attacked his serve. I wonder if Mark should have established a short return of serve early on, rather than always going long by attacking the serves? Mark went up 3-2 in games. In the sixth, Samson led 7-3, then it was 7-7, then 9-7 for Samson again, then Mark wins the next three to go up 10-9 match point. There was a series of sloppy play here, with each missing easy shots. Samson goes up 11-10, finally wins 13-11 when Mark misses a forehand and then a backhand loop. In game seven, the turning point came with Mark serving at 5-5. Samson won both points, looping in Mark's serve to go up 5-7. Samson had a time-out, but fell behind 5-8. He pulled to 7-8, and that's when they had the point of the match. Usually, when one looped, the other looked to counterloop. This time Mark looped over and over, and Samson blocked, at least 6-7 shots in a row, against strong loops before Mark finally misses, and it's 7-9. Samson loops another winner, and then Mark flips his serve off, and Samson has pulled off the upset, 9,10,-6,-9,-6,11,7. Afterwards, Samson said he tried to move his blocks around mostly to the middle and wide backhand, and to loop from close to the table to the wide forehand. He said his backhand had really improved, which was evident from watching the match. "Without glue, you have to loop closer to the table," he said. "Looping from off the table isn't as effective anymore." Samson isn't rated that far below Mark, 2504 to 2584. However, Mark's been a dominant U.S. team member for a while, and Samson's worked hard to reach this level. So we'll honor Samson with today's "Underdog" award. Eric Owens vs. Marcus Jackson This was a great shot-making match, with both players looping at will from both sides. It was also a battle of experience (2001 National Champion Eric Owens, 33) and youth (17-year-old Marcus, now rated 2507). Marcus's backhand loop gave Eric a lot of trouble, as did his serves. Eric, coached by Sasa Drinic, went up 3-1 in games, and led 8-7 in the fifth - but Marcus, coached by Barney J. Reed, ran off four in a row to win. In the sixth, Marcus scored at will to go up 9-3 - and then came one of those moments that later on might have been at turning point, not just in this match, but in the tournament. Until now, down 3-9, Eric was looking like a somewhat sluggish, erratic version of his old self. And now - in came the old, or should we say younger, Eric as he unleashed a barrage of forehand looping that brought back memories of 2001, his previous looping odyssey. Five in a row, and it was 8-9. But Marcus wasn't through, and pulled off two winners to win, 11-8. but in game seven, it was all Eric, taking a 5-0, 8-1, 9-2 lead as he won 11-5. If "this" Eric shows up in his upcoming matches, he will do great damage upon his opposition, and we may see a replay of 2001. Match to Eric, 3,-9,8,9,-8,-8,5. David Zhuang vs. Mark Hazinski This could very easily have been a final as these two titans went at it. David won the first and made it to 9-all in the second. Up 10-9, Mark went on to win 12-10. Mark was mixing power with steadiness, but as usual, David's blocks were almost impenetrable, and his change of directions and pace threw Mark's timing off. In game three, Mark led 10-9 and 11-10 (on a spectacular flip kill of David's serve) before finally winning another close one, 13-11. Game four was the "key" game. A book could be written on the varying tactics and constant change in course of the game. David finally led 10-8, only to see Mark deuce it, 10-10. Let's jump to the end: Mark had five game points, David had three, but all that counts is who converts. Game four to David Zhuang, 17-15 as he tied the match, 2-2. (Interesting note - at 13-13, David suddenly flipped his racket and looped in Mark's serve with the inverted side of his racket! Mark blocked it, and David looped that one off.) The scores of game five tell the story: 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, 11-9 for David. The scores of game six also tell the story: 6-1 for David, then 11-2. Match to David, 4,-10,-11,15,9,2. Eric Owens vs. Samson Dubina This was a looping extravaganza, though both showed nice backhand blocks into the wide forehand. Eric went up 2-1 in games. In the fourth, Samson led 10-9, but Eric had the rest of the ads before finally pulling it out, 16-14. Samson, however, took control in game five, 11-8. In the sixth, it was 6-6, then 10-7 for Eric, who finally wins the match, 8,4,-9,14,-8,9. Said Eric afterwards, referring to this and all his previous matches, "I cannot serve short. I don't have the ability." Eric also didn't like the men's scheduling. "I think it's ridiculous to play five matches between 10 AM and 4 PM." And it is grueling to play five matches at that level nearly back to back, at about 45 minutes each. David Zhuang vs. Eric Owens It started off rather lopsided, with David going up 7-0 and winning 11-4. Eric traded the favor, winning 11-5, and the third as well 11-9. Against David's blocking, Eric's backhand is steady, his forehand often overpowering. But five-time U.S. Champion David, now 45 years old, is hobbling a bit between points, and eventually takes an injury timeout. His wife, Joannie, works on his thigh. When David returns, he has a wrap around the thigh, as well as knee braces on both knees. David wins the next two games, both close, at 9 and 11, to go up 3-2. David leads all the way in game six - but takes a timeout up 10-7 match point to rest his injured leg. Match to David, 4,-5,-9,9,11,7 The Juniors - Timothy Wang and Marcus Jackson Timothy (17, TX, 2474 after the recent Teams) gave Samson Dubina a scare before losing 6,9,-9,-6,-8,9,6. In the battle of the juniors, Marcus was up 3-0 in games, but Timothy fought back to win, despite losing a rather incredible first game: -18(!), -8,-9,9,8,9,5. Timothy finished fifth at 1-4. Despite playing all these Men's matches (minus one when he defaulted his last, meaningless match to David Zhuang), Timothy strolled over to the Junior Team Trials and won his group there as well. (He'll be playing off for positions 1-4 on the team tomorrow.) Marcus (17, MD, 2507 after the recent Teams), played near-spoiler in this group. Eric Owens and Mark Hazinski were battling to advance, but both had to first get past Marcus's two-winged looping and backhand punching game. They did so, but both took seven games, Eric at 3,-9,8,9,-8,-8,5, and Mark (holding off a near-miraculous comeback) at 7,6,12,-10,-8,-10,7. Samson Dubina also struggled but defeated the skyscraping Marylander (yes, he's tall, perhaps as tall as Mark), 7,3,-7,-8,6,11. For his struggles, Marcus came in a somewhat disappointing 0-5 - but how many players do you know went seven with Mark Hazinski and Eric Owens in the same event? Unlike Timothy, however, Marcus had focused on the men's matches, and had already dropped out of the Junior Team Trials. Eric Owens vs. Mark Hazinski At this point, David has clinched first at 5-0. Eric is 3-1, Samson is 3-2, and Mark is 2-2. If Eric defeats Mark, he advances at 4-1. If he loses, then there's a three-way tie among Eric, Mark and Samson, all at 3-2. Samson, however, has a game record among the three of 6-7, and knows he cannot advance, and is lamenting blowing a lead against Eric Owens. Some quick calculations show that Mark has to win 4-2 or better to advance; if he wins 4-3, Eric advances. Mark wins game one at 8. Down 9-10 in the second, he loses 10-12. But Mark wins game three easily at 6 - and Eric trades the favor, winning game four at 4, tying the match at 2-2. For Mark to advance, he needs to win the next two games. Eric seems to clinch his spot with a quick 5-1 lead in the sixth, only to see Mark win six in a row in this ultimate shot-making match. Eric's a bit stronger on the forehand, but Mark can rip winners from both sides. Down 5-7, Eric ties it 7-7 and 8-8. Mark wins the next three, and he's up 3-2. How many people in the audience realize that the next game is all that really matters? Eric goes up 7-4 in game six, but once again Mark ties it, 7-7. Then it's 8-all and 9-all. Mark tries to trick Eric with a sudden serve to the wide forehand, but Eric's all over it, rips a winner down the line to get a game point/advance point. Eric rips another forehand, and it's over - not the match, but Eric's going to advance. Eric wins the seventh and the match, -8,10,-6,4,-8,9,7. The last game, however, wasn't meaningless. If Mark wins, he comes in third. By losing, he comes in fourth, with Samson in third. Both will be in the crossovers tomorrow for position, but Samson will now have a better draw, playing the #4 player from group one (John Leach), while Mark plays the #3 player (Niraj Oak). Since the Men's Singles and Team Trials is a combined event, some players who make the final four might not have the time to train as a member of the National Team, and whoever finishes next in the trials would get that spot. Final results for the group: 1.
David Zhuang (NJ), 5-0 2.
Eric Owens (IL), 4-1 3. Samson Dubina (OH), 3-2 4. Mark Hazinski (TX), 2-3 5. Timothy Wang (TX), 1-4 6. Marcus Jackson (MD), 0-5. In the semifinals on Saturday, Cheng Yinghua will play Eric Owens, and David Zhuang will play Shao Yu. They start at 6 PM Pacific Time, with the final at 8:15 PM. (Women's semifinals start at 5 PM, with the final at 7:30 PM.) |
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Women's Final Twelve By Larry Hodges Format: Two groups of six, with players advancing to crossovers for placement. The top two in each group would advance to the semifinals; the next two would play off for 5-8; the next two for 9-12. Group One Crystal Huang vs. Ariel Hsing was easily the best match of the group, and turned out to be the one deciding first and second. Crystal was top seed in the entire women's event, while Ariel was the up-and-coming junior star. How do you play Crystal? She's left-handed, a penholder, has pips out on the forehand, uses reverse penhold with inverted, and she's really, really good! It's a nightmare. Early on, the very steady Crystal dominated. Up 2-1 in games and 5-5 in the third, she took a timeout, spoke with her coach, Tawny Banh, and came back to win five in a row and the game, 11-6, to go up 3-1. In the fifth, the score was again 5-5 - but this was where Ariel finally seemed to figure out how to play a lefty pips-out penholder with reverse penhold (who's really, really good). The basic answer was pounding, two-winged hitting, especially to Crystal's forehand. Ariel won five in a row and won game five, 11-6. Ariel also dominated game six to lead 10-7, and it was almost time for game seven - except this time it was Crystal's turn to steady, steady, steady, steady, steady, win five in a row as Ariel couldn't quite make her smashes. Match to Crystal, 6,7,-8,6,-6,10. Judy Hugh was seeded second in the group. However, she no longer practices like she used to, and it quickly showed in her matches. She could no longer play at the pace Ariel played at, and so Ariel's all-out attack from both sides won out over Judy's steadier game, 5,8,7,7. Crystal's steadiness and experience were also too much as she won over Judy, 9,1,6,-5,2. Erica Wu (1982) upset Heather Wang (2238), 6,10,9,5, to finish fourth, while Connie Chen (1641) came in fifth when Heather defaulted. Final results for this group: 1. Crystal Huang (CA), 5-0 2. Ariel Hsing (CA), 4-1 3. Judy Hugh (NJ), 3-2 4. Erica Wu (CA), 2-3 5. Connie Chen (TX), 1-4 6. Heather Wang (MD), 0-5 Group Two
Jasna and Jackie quickly clinched their spots to advance, so their match was a battle for placement; the winner would play the runner-up on the other half, and vice versa. Jackie's strong backhand - both drives and a greatly improved loop against Jasna's blocks - were penetrating, and Jasna sometime seemed awkward, especially on the forehand. Jackie won game one, 21-7, and from 9-all, won game two, 11-9. She dominated game three, 11-7, to go up 3-0. Is it over yet? Jasna gave a resounding No! to that. Starting in game four, Jasna raised her level. Her already strong backhand became stronger and more penetrating, and her forehand more consistent. Jackie's forehand, however, sometimes seemed tentative, like she was guiding it. Game four to Jasna, 11-7. Game five was more of the same. From 6-all, Jasna ran off five in a row, 11-6. Game six was a battle. At 7-7 and again at 8-8, Jackie's forehand again seemed tentative and forced as she missed. Down 8-9, Jackie played a fantastic point, finally ending when Jasna misses a smash, 9-all. They followed with probably the best point of the match, where they literally bulleted shot after shot at each other before Jackie finally misses, and Jasna goes up 10-9. An awkward forehand by Jasna, and it's 10-all. Then Jackie plays a tentative forehand loop off the end, and misses a backhand, and Jasna wins, 12-10, to force the seventh game. In game seven, Jackie led 6-3, then it was 6-6, 7-7. Jackie wins the next two, and Jasna calls a timeout, down 9-7. When she returns, Jackie loops off (tentative again) and misses a backhand, and it's 9-all. Then Jackie's up 10-9, then it's 10-all. When Jasna flips Jackie's serve off, and puts a backhand in the net, Jackie has staved off a near-miraculous comeback, winning and advancing, 7,9,7,-7,-6,-10,10. Overall, Jackie's game looks like it is improving, especially on the backhand, where her backhand loop is more and more of a weapon, especially in a rally. Except when she gets tentative, her forehand also looks stronger. I spoke to Sean O'Neill, who was coaching Jackie. He said, "Jasna is great at shot-making, but Jackie was steadier." We also talked about Jackie's improved backhand. Jackie's had the shot for some time, but it's become more and more of a weapon. Final results for this group: 1. Jackie Lee (CA), 5-0 2. Jasna Reed (TX), 4-1 3. Jasmine Nguyen (TX), 3-2 4. Lily Zhang (CA), 2-3 5. Charlene Liu (MD), 1-4 6. Anne Deng (TX), 0-5 The semifinals of Women's Singles tomorrow will be Crystal Huang vs. Jasna Reed, and Ariel Hsing vs. Jackie Lee. The rest of both groups will also play off for position. |
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Junior Boys and Girls Top Twelve By Larry Hodges Below are the results of the Junior Boys' and Girls' Team Trials. The top two from each group (in bold) made the USA National Junior Team. The final order of placement on the teams will be played off tomorrow. Junior Boys Group One 1.
Peter Li (MD), 5-0 2.
Preston Chin (GA), 4-1 3. Chance Friend (TX), 3-2 4. Alexander Yao (MO), 2-3 5. Michael Landers (NY), 1-4 6. Mark Croitoroo (NY), 0-5 Junior Boys Group Two 1.
Timothy Wang (TX), 5-0 2.
Yahao Zhang (CO), 4-1 3. Amaresh Sahu (MD), 3-2 4. Emile Goldstein (NY), 2-3 5. Kevin Kuznetzow (NJ), 1-4 6. Stephen Clyde (IN), 0-5 Junior Girls Group One 1.
Lily Zhang (CA), 5-0 2.
Erica Wu (CA), 4-1 3. Natalie Sun (CA), 3-2 4. Annie Guo (NY), 2-3 5. Charleen Hsieh (CA), 0-5 6. Anne Deng (TX), 1-4 (last due to defaulting two matches) Junior Girls Group Two 1.
Ariel Hsing (CA), 5-0 2.
Sylvan Guo (CA), 4-1 3. Olena Sowers (OH), 3-2 4. Alison Wu (MA), 2-3 5. Ellen Hwang (CA), 1-4 6. Nina Zhen (MD), 0-5 |
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Senior Women By Larry Hodges
(Charlene Liu) Over 40 Women Advancing from Group 1, with a default from top seed Diane Chen, was Pam Fontaine (TX). However, it was Group 2 winner Charlene Liu (MD) who dominated in the final, 7,6,9. Over 50 Women Once again Charlene Liu (MD) met Bella Livshin (CA) in an Over 40 or Over 50 Women's Final - it seems like they play a final every Nationals and Open. Charlene had already won Over 40 Women, which Bella didn't play in this year. In the final, they split the first two games. In the third, Bella went up 7-3. Charlene called a timeout, and told herself she had to be more aggressive, or she'd lose. She came back to win that game and the match, 9,-6,8,7. Over 60 Women Danuta Andrzejewska (FL) dominated the event, and kept Maryland from sweeping all the senior women's events by defeating Donna Sakai (MD) in the final, 3,7,6. Danuta defeated another Marylander - Yvonne Kronlage - in the semifinals, 6,6,1. Over 70 Women There were two groups of four, with the winners advancing the final. Yvonne Kronlage (MD, former U.S. Team Captain and member of U.S. Hall of Fame) dominated the event without losing a game. In the final against Joyce Arpon (NJ), Yvonne led 8-2 in the first, but Joyce battled back before losing the game at 9. Yvonne hit her way through the next two games in winning at 9,4,4. Over 80 Women Nope, there wasn't an over 80 Women's event, just an open Over 80 - as Yvonne (see above) pointed out. She said there were at least five eligible women at the tournament (that didn't include herself, as she's many years away) and others who might come if they held the event. She spoke with several USATT officials about starting the event next year. For perspective, they didn't have an Over 70 Women's event until two years ago, when players requested the event. |
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Cadet Boys and Girls Crossover Results By Larry Hodges Here are the final placements of the USA Cadet Boys' Team Trials (See yesterday's write-ups and results for the Top Twelve qualifying matches.) The Top Four (in bold) are on the USA National Cadet Boys' Team. Congratulations to our new National Team Members! 1.
Alexander Yao (MO) 2.
Michael Landers (NY) 3.
Grant Li (MA) 4.
Charles Deng (TX) 5. Anand Engineer (CA) 6. Tong Tong Gong (MD) 7. Luke Yamasaki (OR) 8. Ethan Chua (CA) 9. Chenda Lu (TX) 10. Kerry Xiao (CA) 11. Justin Nguyen (CA) 12. Brian Chen (CA) Here are the results of the crossover matches that decided the above order of finish. Crossovers: 1-4: Michael Landers (NY) d. Charles Deng (TX), 4,3,7 1-4: Alexander Yao (MO) d. Grant Li (MA), 9,4,3 Final Placement: 1-2: Alexander Yao (MO) d. Michael Landers (NY), -5,6,4,9. 3-4: Grant Li (MA) d. Charles Deng (TX), 5,9,9 Crossovers: 5-8: Anand Engineer (CA) d. Ethan Chua (CA), 7,-7,6,11 5-8: Tong Tong Gong (MD) d. Luke Yamasaki (OR), def. Final Placement: 5-6: Anand Engineer (CA) d. Tong Tong Gong (MD), 11,8,-2,6 7-8: Luke Yamasaki (OR) d. Ethan Chua (CA), -10,13,9,-3,4 Crossovers: 9-12: Kerry Xiao (CA) d. Justin Nguyen (CA), def. 9-12: Chena Lu (TX) d. Brian Chen (CA), 8,6,10 Final Placement: 9-10: Chenda Lu (TX) d. Kerry Xiao (MO), 2,-8,4,9 11-12: Justin Nguyen (CA) d. Brian Chen (CA), 6,-9,6,-9,9 Here are the final placements of the USA Cadet Girls' Team Trials. (See yesterday's writeups and results for the Top Twelve qualifying matches.) The Top Four (in bold) are on the USA National Cadet Girls' Team. Congratulations to our new National Team Members! 1.
Lily Zhang (CA) 2.
Anne Deng (TX) 3.
Ariel Hsing (CA) 4.
Natalie Sun (CAN) 5. Charleen Hsieh (CA) 6. Annie Guo (CA) 7. Ellen Hwang (CA) 8. Erica Wu (CA) 9. Shirly Ho (TX) 10. Prachi Jha (CA) 11. Judy Yang (TX) 12. Jasmine Nguyen (CA) Here are the results of the crossover matches that decided the above order of finish. Crossovers: 1-4: Lily Zhang (CA) d. Natalie Sun (CA), 6,-9,-9,8,9 1-4: Anne Deng (CA) d. Ariel Hsing (CA), 5,-5,-3,3,7 Final Placement: 1-2: Lily Zhang (CA) d. Anne Deng (TX), 10,10,10 3-4: Ariel Hsing (CA) d. Natalie Sun (CA), 12,7,9 Crossovers: 5-8: Annie Guo (CA) d. Ellen Hwang (CA), 8,-3,-10,4,8 5-8: Charleen Hsieh (CA) d. Erica Wu (CA), def. Final Placement: 5-6: Charleen Hsieh (CA) d. Annie Guo (NY), -12,8,9,-9,6 7-8: Ellen Hwang (CA) d. Erica Wu (CA), def. Crossovers: 9-12: Shirly Ho (TX d. Jasmine Nguyen (CA), 9,-3,8,8 9-12: Prachi Jha (CA) d. Judy Yang (TX), 14,-6,-9,8,8 Final Placement: 9-10: Prachi Jha (CA) d. Shirly Wu (TX), -11,9,9,5 11-12: Judy Yang (TX) d. Jasmine Nguyen (CA), def. |
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A White Christmas By Steve Hopkins Records were set across Nevada on Thursday -- and that wasn't even counting the great table tennis that was underway at the Convention Center. Las Vegas had over 3 inches of snow, the most they have had in almost 30 years. The snow didn't affect the venue or the ground transportation here, but it did affect flights and cause delays for those trying to arrive on Thursday. It remains cold in Las Vegas, but it heated up to above freezing and every trace of snow has disappeared. Speaking of Cold Top seed and defending champion, Ilija Lupulesku arrived with a cold virus. He practiced on Wednesday and played in the opening round of the Open Doubles, but was not feeling well enough to continue today. He has withdrawn from all events and will not repeat as champion. In a short interview this morning, Lupulesku stated that he tried to give it a try but even with medicine he just didn't feel that he could play. He seemed very disappointed to be here and to be unable to participate. Hall of Fame Banquet On Wednesday night, the US Table Tennis Hall of Fame inducted Ilija Lupulesku and Chartchai Teekaveerakit as players and inducted Bill Hodge and Chuck Hoey as contributors. Dan Seemiller was also presented with a lifetime achievement award. The event was held in a banquet room at the Hilton (the tournament hotel) and included a reception and a formal meal before the induction and acceptance speeches. Bill Hodge gave a moving speech that included several pauses to fight through his emotions, and Tim Boggan delighted the crowd with his multimedia introductions. In attendance were many Hall of Fame members and the decorations included posters of photos and articles of many of the top US legends of the sport. Reaching New Heights
Two table tennis legends met in the early rounds of the Under 2200 event: George "The Chief" Braithwaite and Jim "Boos Brother" McQueen. The story here isn't that The Chief came out a little flat, or that McQueen had a few lucky shots... The story is that Jim McQueen continues to play at his own personal top level past the age of 60. He is one of the most prolific competitors in the US -- regularly near the top in number of matches played each year and a fixture at the Nationals, the Open, and the North American Teams (and the Cary Cup, and just about every other major tournament in the Southeast). On this day, when these two met, McQueen won the first game easily, won the second game close, lost the third, and pulled out the fourth to finish the match. McQueen, who is following up a solid performance at the North American Teams last month, is very close to the highest rating of his long table tennis career. Keep playing and keep making table tennis entertaining and fun. Hot in the Desert The late exit of Lupulesku from the Open draw has left some interesting problems for the tournament administration. The decision was made not to reshuffle the seeds and redraw the entire tournament -- instead they have pulled a lower rated player and inserted him into the Open draw in the vacant slot. This leaves a lopsided draw with David Zhuang, Mark Hazinski, and Eric Owens (and others) all on the same side of the draw. While Cheng Yinghua (initially the fourth seed overall and initially the second seed behind Lupulesku on that side of the draw) is now the top seed on his half of the draw. Further skewing the two halves of the draw, Adam Hugh, another high seed, has also had to withdraw (due to injury) from the same side of the draw. Some players have been upset that the entire draw was not redone after such a high seed withdrew. It is an issue that will continue to unfold until the finals tomorrow. |
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When
Anne Deng (2334) defaulted to focus on Junior Girls' Singles & Team
Trials, the group became mostly a two-way battle between Jasna Reed (2421)
and Jackie Lee (2336), with Lily Zhang (2229) also in the running. Lily,
however, was also in the Junior Girls' Singles & Team Trials, and so
would be playing nearly non-stop. Lily defeated Charlene Liu (2045),
1,10,4,-11,8, but lost to Jasna (9,7,10,9) and Jackie (11,-9,6,7,2), and defaulted
her other two matches. 
(Photos in the slideshow courtesy of Robert Trudell)
(Short clip of Huermann, Noel vs. Feng, Yijun. Yijun
already won the U2300 event while Noel was the runner-up for the U2000.)