For Immediate Release-January 22, 2000

For more information contact Vicki Ulrich at 719/578-4583 ext.3286 or Larry Hodges 301-907-3663.

HOUSTON, TX- It was a day for veterans, as the top five seeds in both the men's and women's USA Olympic Trials clinched spots for the final North American Olympic Trials. Simone Yang of California, seeded #7, also clinched a spot on the women's side, leaving two spots open for women, three spots open for men. The top eight qualifiers from these trials will compete with Canada for the final spots in Rochester, NY, April 5-9.

As the competition nears its completion, players, coaches and spectators alike are grabbing pens and paper and working out the possible scenarios for the last few spots. The possibilities are nearly endless, and the best that can be said is that it looks like nobody is mathematically eliminated - although for some to make the final eight would require an unlikely combination of matches all going just the "right" way on Sunday, including many upsets. The final two rounds will be completed Sunday morning and early afternoon.

Clinching spots on the men's side were Khoa Nguyen (CA, 9-0), Cheng Yinghua (MD, 8-1), David Zhuang (NJ, 8-1), Eric Owens (TX, 7-2) and Todd Sweeris (MD, 6-3). Still battling for the three spots left open in the Final Eight are Keith Alban (FL, 4-5), Sean Lonergan (MD, 3-6), Shashin Shodhan (CA, 3-6), Brian Pace (FL, 2-7), Barney J. Reed (TN, 2-7), Randy Cohen (FL, 1-8) and T.J. Beebe (GA, 1-8). 15-year-old Alban, the youngest player on the men's side, has almost clinched his spot - only a complicated scenario would deny him a spot. Cohen and Beebe are almost out, but they too still have a mathematical chance.

Clinching spots on the women's side were Jasna Reed (GA, 8-0), Tawny Banh (CA, 8-0), Lily Yip (NJ, 7-2), Virginia Sung (NY, 6-2), Simone Yang (CA, 6-3) and Michelle Do (CA, 4-5). Do could still fall into a tie for 8th place, but would win out in any tie-breaking procedure since she has beaten all players below her who could still tie with her. Simone Yang, who had started out 3-3, won three straight matches (against Yip, Do and J. Lee) to clinch her spot.

Battling for the final two spots are Diana Gee (PA, 2-6), Vivian Lee (MD, 2-7), Karen Chang (NY, 1-7), Mahin Roufeh (TX, 1-7) and Jackie Lee (CA, 2-8).

Spectators saw the match of the tournament - some say of the decade - on Saturday night. Although both had already clinched a spot in the Final Eight, the two undefeated men, top-seeded Cheng Yinghua and fourth-seeded Khoa Nguyen, went at it Saturday night. After losing the first game, Nguyen came back, winning three straight games and the match, 13-21, 21-19, 21-14, 21-15. According to USA Men's Coach Dan Seemiller, Nguyen wasn't aggressive enough with his forehand in the first game. Starting in the second game, Nguyen attacked over and over with his forehand, even attacking Cheng's serve. Although Cheng won several points with "ace" serves to the wide forehand when Nguyen stepped over with his forehand too soon, it wasn't enough to win. The rallies were vicious, often matching Nguyen's powerful offense against Cheng's mixture of blocking and counter-attacking. According to several spectators, Nguyen almost never missed a forehand in this match.

There were numerous come-from-behind five-game matches this tournament. On the wrong end of three of them was 18-year-old T.J. Beebe of Georgia, who led 2-0 in games three times this tournament (against Nguyen, Cohen and Pace), but lost all of them in five. (He did come back from down 2-1 in games to defeat Reed in five.) Beebe nearly ended Pace's Olympic hopes, leading 20-17 match point in the fifth tonight before Pace came back to win, but instead it was Beebe who was nearly eliminated from making the Final Eight. On the other end of this was Eric Owens, who twice was down 2-0 in games but came back to win (against Reed and Lonergan).