Sunday, November 25, 2007
1:28 AM
20th HTV Asian Cup - Gao Ning just survives, Li Jia Wei Bows Out
In front of a large crowd in Hanoi there were all kinds of in interesting and exciting matches in the 8 Quarter Finals held here on the evening of the 24th of November.

Young Korean CHO Ha La was the first to provide a spectacle when she had Li Jia Wei from Singapore, the top seed, feeling not very comfortable right from the very beginning. In a fluctuating match where it was never very easy to see who had the upper hand CHO finally took the match in 7 games, the last two both by the narrowest of matches.

No doubt the most exciting match and perhaps most intriguing was the GAO Ning and ACHANTA Sharath Kamal quarter final showdown. As red hot favorite GAO, although very tight, lost the first 3 games and it looked the Indian Achanta would be through to the semi final. Then from nowhere in the 5th and 6th games GAO seemed to find the form that has seen him rise to number 11 in the world rankings and took them comfortbaly. However, it was the 6th game that was Amazing and one that ACHANTA will probably think back on many times, 7 match points and not able to capitalize any, losing eventually 21-19. In the final game GAO although never racing to a large lead always seemed to have control winning what one can only describe as one of the most fascinating come backs seen. A true credit to the top seed.

ISHIKAWA Kazumi and Jun Mizutani from Japan also booked their places in their respective semi finals with great wins. For Mizutani it is now maybe almost expected that he would reach such a level, but for the 14 year female ISHIKAWA to book a place in the semi final would have been a distant dream when entering the Asia Cup.

Tomorrow's Semi Finals in the men will see Singapore's GAO Ning and YANG Zi fight a final birth while in the bottom half JUN Mizutani from Japan will battle KIM Jung Hoon from Korea. In the Women's side Cho Ha La from Korea will meet WANG Yue Gu from Singapore while ISHIKAWA Kazumi from Japan while play Jang Hua Jun from Hong Kong.




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