Korean ITTF Pro Tour

USA's Gao Jun Makes Final of Doubles, Quarters of Singles, Goes Seven with World #1 Player

Pyeongchang, KOR · May 20-23, 2004

USA's Gao Jun and Germany's Elke Wosik made the final of Women's Doubles. Photo care of ITTF.

By Larry Hodges, from ITTF Reports

USA’s Gao Jun had a great showing at the Korean ITTF Pro Tour. In women’s singles, she reached the quarterfinals, defeating world #62 Tatyana Kostromina of Belarus at 8,9,4,6 in the 16ths, and world #6 Kim Kyung Ah of Korea, a chopper, in the 8ths. Gao is one of the best in the world against defensive players, and demonstrated that here, with steady topspins and sudden smashes. In the quarters, she faced world #1 Zhang Yining of China – and went the full seven games before losing, 7,6,-9,6,-8,-8,4. Gao won most of the points where there were fast exchanges, but Zhang was able to win many points with steady, often slow looping. Many rallies were backhand exchanges, Zhang’s backhand loop to Gao’s block. Zhang went on to win the event.

Gao did even better in doubles. Partnering for the first time ever with Elke Wosik of Germany (world #44 to Gao’s #22), the two upset the #1 seeded women’s doubles team, Niu Jianfeng/Guo Yue of China, 11-9 in the 7^th (6,7,-6,-8,8,-4,9). Gao/Wosik led 10-5 in the last game before pulling it out. Niu/Guo, ranked #2 and #5 in the world, the defending champions from last year’s Korean ITTF Pro Tour, were the winners of five ITTF Pro Tour events in the past year (including the last three they’ve played in), as well as winning the 2003 Grand Tour Finals, and so were seeded first in doubles. Gao/Wosik continued winning into the final, defeating Lin Ling/Lau Sui Fei of Hong Kong (#12 and #13 in the world) in the quarterfinals (9,10,6,3), and Li Jia Wei/Jing Jun of Singapore (#17 and #32 in the world) in the semifinals. In the final, they faced Zhang Yining/Wang Nan of China (#1 and #2 in the world). Down 1-2, they had four game points in the fourth game before losing 13-15, and Zhang/Wang finally prevailed, -9,11,5,13,3. “I think different styles of play can complement each other well in doubles; Gao Jun is so good at blocking and she has a fantastic doubles record,” said Wosik.  “She attacks so well and I trust her,” said Gao, a pips-out penholder to Wosik’s two-winged looping.

USA players Jasna Reed, Whitney Ping and Wally Green also took part in the tournament, but did not make it past the preliminaries. See their results below.

Men’s Singles – Final: Wang Liqin (CHN) d. Wang Hao (CHN), 9,7,-9,6,4; SF: Wang Liqin d. Kong Linghui (CHN), -11,10,7,2,8; Wang Hao d. Ryu Seung Min (KOR), -7,7,11,-4,5,9; QF: Wang Liqin d. Hao Shuai (CHN), 5,9,-6,-10,6,10; Kong d. Chen Qi (CHN), -6,-7,13,5,-7,4,7; Wang Hao d. Kalinikos Kreanga (GRE), 12,-10,-11,8,4,6,11; Ryu d. Chiang Peng-Lung (TPE_, 7,-9,8,4,6; 8ths: Wang Liqin d. Oh Sang Eun (KOR), 10,-6,9,-6,5,3; Hao Shuai d. Jens Lundqvist (SWE), 4,7,-9,8,7; Kong d. Zoran Primorac (CRO), 10,10,-9,7,-10,-10,6; Chen Qi d. Christian Suss (GER), 1,7,6,9; Wang Hao d. Jan-Ove Waldner (SWE), 4,4,ret.; Kreanga d. Jorgen Persson (SWE), 5,5,4,12; Ryu d. Joo Se Hyuk (KOR), 11,7,-7,9,9; Chiang d. Ma Lin (CHN), 2,-10,9,9,5.

Men’s Singles Preliminaries – USA Results: Group 15: Magnus Molin (SWE) d. Wally Green (USA), 4,9,5,2; Christian Suss (GER) d. Green (USA), 5,4,6,2.

Men’s Doubles – Final: Kong Linghui/Wang Hao (CHN) d. Ko Lai Chak/Li Ching (HKG), 10,-9,5,5,8; SF: Kong/Wang d. Seiya Kishikawa/Ryusuke Sakamoto (JPN), 9,4,6,4; Ko/Li d. David Daus/Christian Suss (GER), -10,-9,8,8,8,11; QF: Kong/Wang d. Lee Chul Seung/Ryu Seung Min (KOR), 9,6,7,11; Kishikawa/Sakamoto d. Ma Lin/Chen Qi (CHN), 7,10,-3,-9,-7,8,10; Daus/Suss d. Fredrik Hakansson/Bojan Tikic (SWE/SVN), 8,7,9,2; Ko/Li d. Joo Se Hyuk/Oh Sang Eun (KOR), 13,9,7,-8,-11,7.

Men’s Doubles Preliminaries – USA Results: Kim Jung Hoon/Yoon Jae Young (KOR) d. Wally Green/Zhang Yi Qin (USA/SIN), 8,6,11.

Women’s Singles – Final: Zhang Yining (CHN) d. Niu Jianfeng (CHN), 8,3,10,12; SF: Zhang d. Li Jia Wei (SIN), -7,9,5,-7,3,6; Niu d. Wang Nan (CHN), 7,5,6,9; QF: Wang Nan d. Song Ah Sim (HKG), -6,9,9,17,9; Niu d. Tie Yana (HKG), 8,8,6,-9,-9,8; Li Jia Wei d. Zhang Rui (KOR), -1,-2,-5,6,10,9,5; Zhang d. Gao Jun (USA), 7,6,-9,6,-8,-8,4; 8ths: Zhang Yining d. Li Xiaoxia (CHN), 6,4,12,9; Gao Jun (USA) d. Kim Kyung Ah (KOR), -9,13,6,11,8; Zhang Rui d. Georgina Pota (HUN), 11,11,8,-3,10; Li Jia Wei d. Guo Yue (CHN), -8,9,-8,11,4,7; Niu d. Jing Jun Hong (SIN), 7,7,8,-9,8; Tie d. Lin Ling (HKG), -4,7,4,-10,-9,9,9; Song d. Tamara Boros (CRO), -12,8,9,-5,12,8; Wang Nan d. Lee Eun Sil (KOR), 5,9,-7,8,-7,9. 16ths: Gao Jun (USA) d. Tatyana Kostromina (BLR), 8,9,4,6.

Women’s Singles Preliminaries – USA Results: Group 2: Ai Fujinuma (JPN) d. Jasna Reed (USA), -8,2,6,5,-7,8; Kim Kyung Ha (KOR) d. Reed (USA), 8,6,8,3; Group 5: Marina Kravchenko (ISR) d. Whitney Ping (USA), 3,-9,6,6,5; Park Seong Hye (KOR) d. Ping (USA), 7,2,4,6; Suk Eun Mi (KOR) d. Ping (USA), 7,7,5,6.

Women’s Doubles – Final: Wang Nan/Zhang Yining (CHN) d. Gao Jun/Elke Wosik (USA/GER), -9,11,5,13,3; SF: Wang/Zhang d. Lee Eun Sil/Suk Eun Mi (KOR), 8,6,-10,7,10; Gao/Wosik d. Jing Jun/Li Jia Wei (SIN), 6,8,9,-7,7; QF: Gao/Wosik d. Lau Sui Fei/Lin Ling (HKG), 9,10,6,3; Jing/Li d. Song Ah Sim/Tie Yana (HKG), -1,8,7,8,-4,8; Lee/Suk d. Ai Fujinuma/Aya Umemura (JPN), 5,7,8,-8,-2,-9,4; Wang/Zhang d. Kim Bok Rae/Kim Kyung Ah (KOR), 6,7,12,9; 8ths: Gao/Wosik d. Guo Yue/Niu Jianfeng (CHN), 6,7,-6,-8,8,-4,9.

Women’s Doubles Preliminaries – USA Results: Marina Kravchenko/Veronika Pavlovich (ISR/BLR) d. Jasna Reed/Whitney Ping (USA), 10,8,8.

Under 21 Men’s Singles – Final: Chou Tung-Yu (TPE) d. Yang Zi (SIN), 9,-9,10,-4,10,8; SF: Chou d. Ryusuke Sakamoto (JPN), 7,-7,2,10,-8,12; Yang d. Lee Jin Kwon (KOR), 6,-7,-10,-6,6,9,9.

Under 21 Women’s Singles – Final: Ai Fukuhara (JPN) d. Georgina Pota (HUN), -10,8,-0,8,7,7; SF: Ai d. Moon Hyun Jung (KOR), 6,11,9,9; Pota d. Jee Min Hyung (KOR), 5,7,-6,4,-1,-6,9.

Under 21 Women’s Singles Preliminaries – USA Results: Group 4: Jun Hyun Sil (KOR) d. Whitney Ping (USA), 9,8,11; Moon Hyun Jung (KOR) d. Ping (USA), 8,2,9.