Gao Jun became the first USA player ever to win men's or women's singles at an ITTF Pro Tour event, and the third ever to win men's or women's doubles, sweeping both women's singles and doubles at the Chinese Taipei ITTF Pro Tour this weekend.
In the final of women's singles, Gao, world #16, came back from down 0-2 in games to defeat world #8 Li Jia Wei of Singapore, -8,-6,5,16,11,9. Gao had recently defeated Li in the 16ths of the 2005 Worlds on her way to reaching the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Gao defeated her left-handed doubles partner, Shen Yanfei of Spain, 6,6,-5,-6,2,7. The event was dominated by pips-out players. Gao is a pips-out penholder, and both Li Jia Wei and Shen Yanfei are shakehanders with pips on the forehand. Gao's road to the Championship was as follows:
Final: Gao d. Li Jia Wei (SIN), -8,-6,5,16,11,9
SF: Gao d. Shen Yanfei (ESP), 6,6,-5,-6,2,7
QF: Gao d. Ai Fujinuma (JPN), 4,-10,14,11,-11,3
8ths: Gao d. Haruna Fukuoka (JPN), 3,6,9,5
16ths: Gao d. Yuka Shiosaki (JPN), 6,10,-8,8,10
In women's doubles, Gao and Shen Yanfei teamed for the first time and defeated Sun Bei Bei/Wang Yue Gu of Singapore, 7,10,6,-4,6. Their road to the Championship:
Final: Gao/Shen d. Sun Bei Bei/Wang Yue Gu (SIN),
7,10,6,-4,6:
SF: Gao/Shen d. Haruna Fukuoka/Hirano Sayaka (JPN), 5,-67,-4,11,6
QF: Gao/Shen d. Ai Fujinuma/Hiura Reiko (JPN), 1,-10,-5,5,10,7
8ths: Gao/Shen d. Lau Sui Fei/Song Ah Sim (HKG), 8,-9,8,-9,7,9.
The only other USA players ever to win men's or women's doubles at an ITTF Pro Tour event were Wang Chen, who teamed with Liu Jia of Austria to win women's doubles at the 2004 USA ITTF Pro Tour, and Cheng Yinghua, who teamed with Jean-Michel Saive to win men's doubles at the 1998 USA ITTF Pro Tour. Gao, 8-time USA women's Champion, and Cheng are the current USA women's and men's singles champions, and are the current and five-time USA Mixed Doubles Champions.
Gao's previous best ITTF Pro Tour performance had been making the final of women's doubles at the 2004 Korean ITTF Pro Tour, teamed with Germany's Elke Wosik-Schall. In singles, she has made the semifinals twice, and the quarterfinals five times. In other events, while playing for China, she was World Women's Doubles Champion in 1991 and World Team Champion in 1993, women's doubles silver medalist at the 1992 Olympics. She was also the 1994 U.S. Open Women's Singles Champion, but it was not a ITTF Pro Tour event at the time.
For complete results, photos and ITTF coverage of the Chinese Taipei ITTF Pro Tour, see the ITTF Pro Tour page.
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