News :
There was success for Singapore in both the Under 21 Mens Singles
and Under 21 Womens Singles finals at the Volkswagen Pro Tour
Grand Finals in Fuzhou, China on the evening of Saturday 10th
December 2005.
In the Under 21 Mens Singles event YANG Zi beat Koreas CHO Eon
Rae 13-11, 11-7, 11-2, 11-4, whilst in the counterpart womens
event SUN Bei Bei defeated Italys Nicoletta STEFANOVA 8-11, 11-4,
11-5, 8-11, 11-5, 11-6.
SUN Bei Bei, winner of the Under 21 Women's Singles title in
Fuzhou
It was the third time in recent months that YANG Zi had prevailed
against CHO Eon Rae, having won in the final of the Under 21 Mens
Singles event at the Volkswagen Open Japan in September and also he
had won in Fuzhou; the two players had been drawn in the same group
in the event and had played each other in the very first
match.
Last Match
I know Id won when we played earlier in the tournament but this
was the final, so I was really focused, it was the last match,
there was no second chance, explained YANG Zi. I hadnt been
playing that well before the start of the tournament, so Im really
pleased with my form here in Fuzhou and it puts me in a good frame
of mind for the Asia Cup in India next week.
YANG Zi was dominant from start to finish; basically, he believed,
his opponent didnt. It wasnt the same CHO Eon Rae who one round
earlier had beaten LIM Jae Hyun, CHO Eon Rae never settled into a
rhythm, rarely was allowed to take the initiative and was beaten
comfortably.
Dominant
He had problems returning my service, continued YANG Zi. Also,
on the first three attacking strokes I felt I played really well
today. The Singaporean was dominant; he attacked quickly from the
very start. The fact that Id beaten him before meant that he
didnt have any confidence against me, continued YANG Zi. Hes
confident against other Koreans and hes one of the very best of
the Korean boys but against me he doesnt seem to believe he can
win.
The speed of YANG Zi was evident in the contest, he was the faster
player. In the first three games he was fighting, continued YANG
Zi. However, after I won those two games his heart wasnt really
in the match and I won the last two games more easily.
A very good result for YANG Zi and it was also a good result for
Singapore with some thirty minutes earlier, SUN Bei Bei having won
the Under 21 Womens Singles title. Im really happy to have won,
said YANG Zi. Also, its good for Singapore that we both won, I
hope it will encourage players and perhaps encourage more people to
play table tennis.
Focused
Meanwhile, for SUN Bei Bei she was equally focused on the task in
hand. I really concentrated and kept reminding myself what I had
to do, she said. I felt confident, I had a clear mind. SUN Bei
Bei played in her usual fast attacking style and maintained the
pressure on STEFANOVA. Im really happy to have won, she smiled.
Now all I want to do is to back to Shandong and see my parents, so
I can tell them how I won.
The end of another busy day for SUN Bei Bei but she cannot rest
yet; shes still in the Womens Doubles event, the semi-finals with
WANG Yue Gu; the duo play GAO Jun and SHEN Yanfei.
