Cheung Yuk and Jiang Huajun were the Hong Kong players to make the furthest progress at the ITTF 2013 World Tour Kuwait Open but the player to attract the attention was undoubtedly Wong Chun Ting.
The 21 year old came within a whisker of causing the biggest upset of all; in the first round of the Men’s Singles event, he was beaten by China’s Zhang Jike, the reigning Olympic and World champion. He lost by the very narrowest of margins in the deciding seventh game.
Zhang Jike eventually escaped; he won 7-11, 11-9, 7-11, 10-12, 11-3, 11-8, 12-10.
It is a result that to some extent underlines the current fortunes of Wong Chun Ting.
He finished in second place in the group, losing a close six games duel (11-7, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6, 3-11, 11-6) against Russia’s Grigory Vlasov, a player in form. He impressed earlier in the year in January at the ITTF 2013 World Tour Austrian Open when he accounted for Germany’s Patrick Baum and the Slovak Republic’s Bai He, before losing to Japan’s Taku Takakiwa in round three.
Furthermore Taku Takakiwa was a man in form; one round later he accounted for Zhang Jike!
Second place in the group in Kuwait meant Wong Chun Ting progressed to the preliminary round, where the winners plus two “Lucky Losers” progressed to the main draw.
Again it was a close defeat for Wong Chun Ting; he was beaten is a full seven games duel by Japan’s Masataka Morizono (11-4, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 8-11, 9-11, 11-6).
However, it was not the end of the road. He gained one of the two “Lucky Loser” places and booked his place in the main draw against Zhang Jike where his luck ran out.
Wong Chun Ting is an exciting player, he is dynamic and he is very close to producing a major upset on the international stage; one win, an injection of confidence and that could change his fortunes.
Perhaps he can take heed from the words of the legendary Jan-Ove Waldner. Prior to the final of the Men’s Team event at the World Team Championships in Kuala Lumpur in 2000, he had never beaten Liu Guoliang. Jan-Ove Waldner asked coach Ulf Carlsson if he could play the first match; the chances were he would face Liu Guoliang; the coach somewhat stunned agreed.
Prior to the duel, Jan-Ove Waldner had never beaten Liu Guoliang but the super Swede argued that he had never lost in straight games, always he had won at least one game; so if he could win one game he could beat the Chinese star. He did, Sweden won the match and Jan-Ove Waldner never again lost to Liu Guoliang!
Meanwhile, for Cheung Yuk and Jiang Huajun it was a second round exit in the respective Men’s and Women’s Singles event.
Cheung Yuk beat Italy’s Mihai Bobocica (12-10, 8-11, 12-14, 4-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-8) before losing to Korea’s Kim Minseok (13-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-4); whilst Jiang Huajun overcame Russia’s Yana Noskova (11-6, 8-11, 5-11, 11-13, 11-7, 11-8, 12-10) prior to China’s Ding Ning ending progress (11-5,11-9,11-6,11-6).
Article by: ITTF - Ian Marshall
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