Without a doubt, today was the ***BIG*** day at the Nationals, with the most and biggest finals.

Men's Singles Champion Cheng Yinghua
(Photo by John Oros Copyright 1999)

MEN’S SINGLES
Cheng completely dominated the event, from start to finish. Except for a slight "hiccup," when he blew a 20-16 lead against David Zhuang during the final, he didn't lose a game in the event.

Quarterfinals
Cheng Yinghua (MD) d. Keith Alban (FL), 15, 22, 9. Under pressure, U.S. #1 junior Keith pulled off several spectacular counterloops, but Cheng simply had too many weapons. After winning the second game at deuce, Cheng took a 16-4 third game lead, and the match was over.

Semifinalist Eric Owens
(Photo by John Oros Copyright 1999)

Eric Owens (TX) d. Sean Lonergan (MD), 16, -18, 16, 15. After Eric won the first game, Sean (leading 20-18) pulled off a rare "ace" push return of serve to the wide forehand against the too-soon-stepping-around Eric to win the second game. Spurred on by this, Sean took a 4-1 lead in the third game. It was his last hurrah, as Eric scored the next ten in a row, and won the last two games by holding onto early leads. Eric dominated with his forehand loop – once he got his forehand on a ball, it was usually just a matter of whether his first loop or second one would win the point. Eric also kept loop-killing Sean's serves, which probably were long too often.

Semifinalist Todd Sweeris
(Photo by John Oros Copyright 1999)

Todd Sweeris (MD) d. Khoa Nguyen (CA), -18, 14, 18, 19. This was a match of Khoa's physical athleticism and swooping loop versus Todd's quickness and serve & receive game. After losing the first game, Todd mostly dominated the rest of the way, mostly because he took away much of Khoa's game with his receive game – flips, loops, and short & long pushes. In games three and four, Todd led 12-6 and 11-5, respectively, and each time Khoa made late comebacks that fell short, including tying the last game at 19-all after falling behind 17-13. Up 20-19 in the fourth, Todd flip-killed Khoa's serve about as hard as a ball can be flipped to end the match.

David Zhuang (NJ) d. Brian Pace (FL), 6, 15, 15. Although Brian has great looping power and fast footwork, David worked him side-to-side throughout the match, forcing Brian to either go for off-balance forehands or use his more erratic backhand. Although Brian would sometimes challenge in the last two games, David was in command from start to finish.

Semifinals
Cheng Yinghua d. Eric Owens, 13,16,14. Despite a large cheering section, there wasn't a whole lot Eric could do in this match. Eric's looping power scored a number of points, but Cheng controlled most rallies from the start with his serve, receive, and a mixture of blocking and two-winged looping. Often Eric seemed somewhat frozen, not sure of what Cheng would be doing next, and so would get locked up on his backhand, taking his point-winning forehand out of the equation. Afterwards, Cheng told me that Eric had a good game, but didn't yet know how to use it tactically at the higher levels.

Men's Finalist David Zhuang
(Photo by John Oros Copyright 1999)

David Zhuang d. Todd Sweeris, 19, -16, 15, 16. Todd led the first 17-15, and seemed to be controlling the rallies with his steady pips-out backhand and forehand looping. But at the end, with David suddenly serving all backhand serves, he got careless in the rallies, and lost. Down 14-8 in the second, David came back to tie it up at 15-all, but Todd ran it out, 21-16. In the last two games, Todd's controlling, side-to-side backhand became erratic, especially when going down the line. Often Todd would catch David flat-footed with a down-the-line backhand that just missed, and Todd could only stare at the missed opportunities.

David Zhuang vs. Cheng Yinghua in Final.
(Photo by John Oros Copyright 1999)

Final
Cheng Yinghua d. David Zhuang, 10, -20, 10, 10. The final was played about an hour after Cheng had given an exhibition with Chen Xinhua, and so the question many wondered was whether he would be too tired. But Cheng dominated all four games, except for the "hiccup." Cheng often plays David straight backhand-to-backhand counterdriving, but this time he almost exclusively looped the backhand. In game two, Cheng led 20-16, and for a few points looks slow and flat-footed – tired? – while David is at his most energetic, winning six in a row. But Cheng came right back, winning the last two at ten (as he had the first).

Chen Xinhua in exhibition with Cheng Yinghua.
(Photo by John Oros Copyright 1999)

During the match, there was an ongoing joke about Cheng being tired. David would yell (after Cheng would make a great shot), "He's tired?", and Cheng would respond, "I'm tired!" At one point, when Cheng missed an easy shot (but with a big lead after scoring 8 in a row), David, clowning around, yelled, "He's tired!", and ran around the court showing off his own energy! Cheng responded by faking exhaustion with heavy breathing, hand at stomach, etc. The crowd enjoyed the clowning around almost as much as the great play.

Women's Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles Champion (for four years in a row!) Gao Jun.
(Photo by John Oros Copyright 1999)

WOMEN'S SINGLES
Gao Jun dominated women's singles even more than Cheng had the men's play in winning her fourth straight women's title. A player can often challenge a player who is a level stronger, but Gao is two levels stronger than the next best USA woman, and her results showed this. How dominant is Gao? She won women's singles, but only gained one rating point – her 2670 rating was 232 points higher than her next best competitor, Tawny's 2438. If Gao were rated five points higher, she would not have gained a single point! (After the teams in Baltimore, she might have gained those five points.)

Semifinals
Gao Jun (MD) d. Lily Yip (NJ), 9, 14, 6. In this match-up of pips-out penholders, Gao's better controlling backhand blocking and steady forehand hitting was too strong for Lily's more aggressive, but less consistent game. Gao rarely gave Lily a chance to attack easily, and even when Lily's shots landed, Gao seemed able to counter block back anything.

Tawny Banh (CA) d. Jackie Lee (CA), 14, 7, 16. Tawny's strong two-winged game – forehand looping, backhand hitting with pips – was simply too much for Jackie Lee's two-winged looping and hitting game. 14-year-old Jackie showed hints of brilliant play at times, but Tawny controlled the match from the beginning.

Women's Singles Finalist Tawny Banh.
(Photo by John Oros Copyright 1999)

Final
Gao Jun d. Tawny Banh, 11, 13, 18. Tawny had several brief but shining moments – up 9-6 in the first, and almost coming back from down 19-14 in the third – but Gao could pretty much lock Tawny up on her backhand side, and pick-hit with her forehand. Gao controlled play with her serve, receive, backhand block, forehand quick-hit, and general placement. Placement is her greatest weapon – plus the fact that ***she never misses***! Afterwards, Tawny admitted that her goal was simply to get a game from Gao – something few women have done. Tawny came relatively close in the third game, scoring four in a row from down 19-14, but Gao won the next two.

MIXED DOUBLES
The final between Cheng Yinghua/Simone Yang (MD/OR) and David Zhuang/Gao Jun (NJ/MD) was scheduled for 9:45 AM Saturday morning. Whether by previous arrangement, or simply because he lost track of his schedule, Cheng didn't arrive in time for the final, and so his team was defaulted in the final.

The events best match, however, was the quarterfinal match between Eric Owens/Diana Gee (TX/PA) and choppers Derek May/Virginia Sung (GA/NY). There was lots of looping and lots of chopping, and when the smoke cleared (after a loooong match), the choppers had come out on top, 20, -11, 20.

Hardbat Singles Champion Ty Hoff.
(Photo by John Oros Copyright 1999)

HARDBAT SINGLES
There seemed to be a group of eight players in the draw who all seemed about the same level, and any of which could have won this tournament. They were defending champion Ty Hoff, Derek May, Steve Berger, Brian Masters, Freddie Gabriel, Lily Yip, Loc Ngo (who almost upset Ty in the eighths, losing -15, 18, 13, with a lead much of game two), and Jim Butler.

Yes, you heard that last one right! Although he is retired from sponge play, Jim came to Las Vegas just for the hardbat event (as well as a vacation). However, Jim's playing time was cut short when he lost to Berger in a close match in the eighths (as written about in yesterday's update).

Quarterfinals
Steve Berger (NY) d. Freddie Gabriel (CA), -20, 12, 18, 16. Freddie was the only "elite" junior playing in the tournament, and to many who have seen him play, was the pre-tournament favorite, along with Butler. However, as good as players like Gabriel and Butler were against attackers, where fast reflexes were key, they seemed to have more difficulty against a chopper like Berger – and so both were taken out of the event, to the relief of many.

Hardbat Singles Finalist (and Over 30 Semifinalist) Derek May.
(Photo by John Oros Copyright 1999)

Derek May (GA) d. Dean Doyle (OR), 17, 4, 16. Derek, who plays hardbat regularly with Ty Hoff and others, was simply too strong for Dean, who is coming back after retiring in the middle 1980s. Dean can still do a lot of things well, but he doesn't do them as well as he used to, at least not yet. Many eyes are watching to see if he will regain the form he once had. Meanwhile, Derek showed the best balance of attack and defense in the tournament, equally comfortable attacking or chopping.

Ty Hoff (GA)d. Barry Dattel (NJ), 11, 17, 13. Ty's two-winged steady attack was too much for Barry, who has a steady backhand, but not much power, and a suspect forehand. Barry can keep the ball going, but Ty could too, and he could put the ball away almost at will after a shot or two in most rallies. Barry recently made the switch from chopping to blocking, and seems better with his new style. Ty's game, with a family contingent of about 15 people watching, began to play better and better – a hint of what was to come.

Brian Masters (MD) d. Lily Yip (NJ), 15, 18, 16. This match surprised a lot of people Lily had made the finals of three straight national hardbat tournaments – the U.S. Nationals last year, and the U.S. Open and North American Championships this year. Brian, although steady, had not seemed a great threat in doubles, although he and Derek May had won the event. However, his steady blocking backhand and topspinning forehand worked wonders in this match, and like Berger's "upsets" of Butler and Gabriel, led to sighs of relief from some of those still left in the event.

Semifinals
Derek May d. Steve Berger, 13, -15, 13, -18, 17. In a nutshell … wow! This may have been the match of the tournament. Although Berger is primarily a chopper, while Derek usually plays about 50% offense, 50% defense, in this match the roles were somewhat reversed. Berger attacked more, but his attacks were not as strong or effective as Derek's. However, although Derek could make unbelievable returns, his returns were generally not as low as Berger's, so Berger would continue to tee off on them, leading to spectacular rallies – especially since Berger, with a very slow blade, didn't smash as hard as Derek, and so took more shots to score. However, after half the tournament stopped to watch the match, it finally ended when, from 12-all in the fifth, Derek began to pull away, and went up 17-13 and finally 20-15. At that point, Berger went on an all-out forehand attack binge, and overpowered an at-the-barriers chopping Derek both points. However, at 17-20, Berger served off the end, and the match was over.

Ty Hoff d. Brian Masters, 17, 13, 9. Ty plays hardbat full-time, while Brian was just trying it out, and it showed. Brian could keep the ball in play, but Ty attacked relentlessly, and although the rallies were often long and furious, Ty controlled play throughout. Brian, although still living in Maryland, is about to move to Georgia and join Ty, Derek & Pete May, and Xin Peng in their daily hardbat practices.

Final
Ty Hoff d. Derek May, 14, 15, 15. The scores do not tell the tale of this match between the two Augusta practice partners - Derek spent most of the match chopping, and he was bringing back Ty's best smashes (and hardbat loops!) over and over - but Ty rarely missed. Ty's attack against Derek's was overpowering and unstoppable – Ty's many hours of practice with both Derek and Derek's father, Pete, both primarily choppers, showed. This is the second straight year that Ty has been National Hardbat Champion. He is also the U.S. Open Hardbat Champion.

OVER 30 SINGLES
When Cheng Yinghua defaulted in the first round to save himself for other events, Barry Dattel's trip to the final passed a major roadblock. The other seeded players in Barry's bracket – James Therriault (2169) and Al Martz (2207) – also didn't show. When fellow New Jersey player Rey Domingo (2368) defaulted the semifinals, Barry, seeded fifth with a 2342 rating, was in the final without playing a single player rated over 1900 or seeded in the top 35! However, in the final he faced David Zhuang (also of New Jersey), one last major roadblock. The hour was late on Saturday, just after the Men's final … so what the heck, Barry defaulted to David, who had defeated Derek May (GA) in the semifinal at 12 & 8.

Over 60 Champion Richard Hicks.
(Photo by John Oros Copyright 1999)

OVER 60
In a marathon between George Braithwaite's (NY) steady looping and Richard Hicks' (IN) steady chopping, chopping won out at 17 & 12 in this match of long-time rivals. Hicks had defeated fellow chopper Bohdan Dawidowicz (CO) in the semifinal at 16 & 6, while Brathwaite defeated Nick Mintsiveris (CA), 16 & 14.

OVER 75
Frank Dwelly (MA) defeated Fred Borges (CA) in the final, at 16 & 16, to add to his list of previous age championships. Dwelly had defeated just-inducted Table Tennis Hall of Famer Dr. Michael Scott (WA) in the semifinals, at 15 & 14, while Borges received a default from Harry Deschamps (IN).

OVER 50 DOUBLES
George Brathwaite (NY) and Dave Sakai (MD) had an unexpected struggle in the final against Joe Cummings (TX) and Nick Mintsiveris (CA), but won out, 21, -19, 13.

OVER 70 DOUBLES
Long-time USATT official and Tournament Chairman Y.C. Lee (CA), just inducted into the hall of fame, teamed up with fellow-Californian Leon Ruderman to upset the top-seeded Texas team of Grady Gordon and Buddy Melamed. The Texans had already gotten another second in Over 60 Doubles (by upsetting the team of George Brathwaite and Marty Reisman on Wednesday in the semifinals).

HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' SINGLES & DOUBLES
Top-seeded Keith Alban (FL) defeated second-seeded T.J. Beebe (GA) in the High School Boys' final, 9, -14, 10. It was the third time the two would play in this tournament; the third time TJ would get a game; and the third time Keith would win. TJ defeated John Beaumont in the semifinals, 10 & 16. Beaumont had upset third-seeded Peter Zajac in the quarterfinals, 18, -20, 16. On the other half, Keith defeated Terrence Lee, 14 & 16. Keith and Terrence then teamed up to win High School Doubles over Floridians Clement Chan and Kar Ho, 10 & 18.

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS' SINGLES
Michelle Do (CA), seeded #1 by over 300 rating points, 2209 to second-seeded Stacy Schoenberg's 1880, defeated the New Yorker in the final at 8 & 12. Stacy had defeated Huikai Luu (FL) in the semifinals, 6 & 13. Michelle had a bye in the semifinals … because there were no other players, just the three of them in the event.

Mark Hazinski, Under 2400 and Under 2200 Champion, thinking it over.
(Photo by John Oros Copyright 1999)

UNDER 2200
Mark Hazinski … are we getting tired of hearing about this 14-year-old 6'1" Indianan's exploits? He's already won Under 2400, defeated Brian Masters (MD, rated 2493) in men's singles, and pushed Brian Pace (GA, 2545) to five games … and now here he is, in the Under 2200 event? But it's legitimate. Just three weeks ago, he played in the Baltimore Teams, and since he was on my team, I can attest to the fact that although he showed signs of brilliance at times, overall he was a 2250 player at that time. A lot can happen in three weeks (especially when your coach is USA Men's Coach Dan Seemiller), and Mark won the Under 2200's without losing a game, defeating Shuja Jafar-Ali (CA) in the final at 15 & 15. Shuja had barely gotten by David Sakai (MD) in the semifinals, winning 18, - 18, 19, while Hazinski had won out over Lee McCool (GA), 13 & 19, in an all-out power-looping duel.

Under 2100 Champion 11-year-old Adam Hugh.
(Photo by John Oros Copyright 1999)

UNDER 2100
11-year-old Adam Hugh (NJ), son of Lily Yip and Barry Dattel and already the #1 player under 12 in the U.S., won the event despite going in seeded #24 with a rating of 2028 (which shows you the depth of the event!). In more recent ratings (not used at the Nationals), he had already gone over 2100. He upheld that rating, winning the final over Randall Ly (WA), 17, -18, 16.

UNDER 1500
Bruce Liu (CA), who had already won Under 1300 (with a 1226 rating), started out "slow," having to win three-gamers in the eighths (-10, 14, 16 over top-seeded Ly Hien Le), and in the quarters (-14, 13, 10 over Rodney Lock). But from the semifinals on, the event was his, as he defeated 10-year-old sensation Sergey Gutkin (CA) in one semifinals, 14 & 16 (see Bill Lui-coached Gutkin's picture as next week's "Photo of the Week" on the USATT Web Page, going up on Monday, Dec. 21), and Nazih Elhayek in the final, 10 & 19. Nazih had defeated Gary Alcares (CA) in the semifinals, 12 & 20.

UNDER 1000
Minh Nguyen (CA) defeated Kevin Phung (CA) in the final, 19 & 15. Minh had upset top-seeded Joanne Miller (WA) in the semifinals, 19 & 11, while Kevin had, after a 19, -17, 18 struggle in the first round with Jeff Seibel (CA), had coasted to the final.