For Immediate Release-January 21, 2000

For more information contact Vicki Ulrich at 719/578-4583 ext.#3286

UPSET HIGHLIGHTS DAY THREE OF HOUSTON QUALIFIER

HOUSTON, TX- Excitement was high at the USA Table Tennis Olympic Qualifying Event on Friday with the arena buzzing about Eric Owens' upset over David Zhuang.

Playing in his hometown and at his home club, Eric Owens put on a show with his play in his game one 21-18 victory. Zhuang, who was seeded 2nd, battled back to win game two, 21-15. However, Eric played aggressively in the next two games, dominating with his forehand loop and footwork, and won both, 21-18 and 21-16. This was Eric’s first win ever over David, and it created quite a stir. Eric has been a table tennis player since he was six years old and it showed in his finesse and athleticism at the table. 

Another hugely important match was between Todd Sweeris and Khoa Nguyen. Khoa led the first game 11-4. However, Todd scored 8 in a row to lead 12-11. But Khoa then pulled away to win 21-16. Khoa won games two and three with his never-missing forehand loop-kill to revenge his loss to Sweeris in the quarterfinals of the recent USA Nationals.

The day's only other major upset was T.J. Beebe's 3-2 win over Barney Reed. (See results page for complete results.)

The women’s draw had  no major upsets with Jasna Reed, Tawny Banh and Lily Yip, the top three seeds, all going undefeated.

JUNIORS SET STAGE WITH CONTEST OF STRONG COUNTERS

HOUSTON, TX-Yesterday’s competition at the USA Table Tennis Olympic Qualifying Event was highlighted by the dual between two rising California stars. The Houston Table Tennis Club and attendees were treated to a look into the future of Table Tennis when 16-year-old junior powerhouse Michelle Do was challenged by 14-year-old teen phenom Jackie Lee.

In the first, Michelle took a quick 4-0 lead, but Lee caught up and led, 8-7. From there the match was a heated battle of finesse, service returns, and powerful counters. Michelle's quick and powerful forehand loop won game one for her, 21-14. In game two, Jackie won a series of rapid-fire backhand exchanges to win, 21-16. In the third, Do powered quickly to a 5-0 lead and 21-7 win. In the fourth, after losing three points in a row, but still leading 17-16, Do called a rarely exercised time-out. Refocused from the break, Michelle snapped in a backhand loop winner on the first point, and won four straight points to win the fourth game and the match, 21-17.

The remaining women’s matches were highlighted by 3-0 wins by such luminaries as past Olympian Lily Yip, 1999 Pan Am Gold Medalist Tawny Bahn, and five-time USA National Team Member Virginia Sung. Croatian-born and top-seeded Jasna Reed suffered a scare in losing the first game against hometown Texan Mahin Roufeh, 21-15, but her experience enabled her to come back and win the next three at 10, 11 and 9.

The men’s draw was true to the seeding with the top five players not losing to anyone outside their group. The local crowd turned out to support Houstonian Eric Owens and was treated to suspenseful rallies and exchanges of brilliance. In one of several five-game matches in the tournament, Owens battled early inconsistency on the backhand in addition to his shot-making opponent, Barney Reed. Reed grabbed the first two games at 14 and 17, and could smell victory. Under pressure but cheered on by his hometown fans, Owens eked out game three, 22-20. Owens rode his momentum to easily beat Barney in game four, 21-12. Game five was accented by a controversial call of moving the table on Reed, which resulted in a discussion that ended with the umpire asking Barney’s coach to leave the court. Eric built off the emotional call and took a 7-1, and closed out the game and match, 21-15.

Play continues in the Lone Star state today with athletes on the men’s and women’s side competing to continue toward Sydney by qualifying for the sweet sixteen in Rochester in April. The eight men and eight women that advance from Houston will vie for three invitations to the Olympics in Sydney.