Friday, February 29, 2008
8:41 PM
World Team Table Tennis Championships 2008 - Singapore in Harmony as Final Place is Booked in Guangzhou
Singapore hit top form in the early evening of Friday 29th February 2008 to book their place in the final of the Women's Team event at the Evergrande World Team Championships in Guangzhou.

At the penultimate stage they rose to the occasion to overcome Japan by three matches to nil.It was a hard fought duel with the Singapore trio of Wang Yue Gu, Li Jia Wei and Feng Tianwei always having the vital edge on their opponents.
In a quick-fire contest Wang Yue Gu beat Kasumi Ishikawa, Li Jia Wei inflicted the first defeat of the whole tournament on Sayaka Hirano and Feng Tianwei underlined her consistent improvement with a most professional victory over Ai Fulkuhara.

Player selection was the interesting factor for the Japanese Women's Team; six months ago, I'm sure if they had played it would have been different.

Haruna Fukuoka would no doubt have been included in the line up; her record against Li Jia Wei prior to the China Mobile Asian Championships in Yangzhou in September 2007 had been exemplary.

Li Jia Wei had experienced a host of problems against the close to the table blocking style of Haruna Fukuoka; the long pimples on the backhand upsetting the rhythm of the Singaporean.

However, at the China Mobile Asian Championships, Li Jia Wei beat Haruna Fukuoka for the first time in her career and she won easily; since then there has been a total change. It has been Li Jia Wei who has been in command.

No place in the Japanese line up for Haruna Fukuoka but there was for fifteen year old Kasumi Ishikawa. She was the surprise choice of Kinji Kondo, the Japanese Women's Team Head Coach, to start proceedings against Singapore. Or was it such a surprise choice?

Kasumi Ishikawa is only fifteen years old; well she is only just fifteen years old. She celebrated her birthday on 23rd February the day before the Evergrande World Team Championships started in Guangzhou and she had played Wang Yue Gu previously.

The occasion was the Hanoi Television sponsored Asian Cup in Vietnam in November 2007 when Kasumi Ishikawa finished in a highly creditable third place, beating Wang Yue Gu in five games en route to the medal podium.Not OverawedIn Guangzhou, Kasumi Ishikawa was not overawed by the occasion. She matched Wang Yue Gu blow for blow; a variety of high thrown services deep into the backhand of Wang Yue Gu then a fast attack wide to the forehand of her adversary was the chosen tactic time and again.

Perhaps she strained that little too hard at the crucial times; she lost the first two games by the very narrowest of margins. In the third, she played with a degree more caution; forehand topspins deep into the backhand of Wang Yue Gu brought success.

However, when rallies developed, Wang Yue Gu was in her element and at 8-4 ahead in the third game appeared a few degrees more relaxed; she played more fluently. Kasumi Ishikawa never surrendered but into trying to play strongly on the first attack after the services she made mistakes.It was success for Wang Yue Gu, it was first blood to Singapore.

Next into the arena came Sayaka Hirano and Li Jia Wei; fast counterattacking play was the order of matters with the first game going to Japan, the next to Jia Wei.

The latter was clearly under instructions to topspin the ball heavily from her backhand into the backhand of Sayaka Hirano to nullify the speed of the returns. Li Jia Wei established a 10-8 lead in third game, Singapore coach Liu Guodong called Time Out. The players returned, Sayaka Hirano won the next three points to lead 11-10 but then Li Jia Wei responded, she won the next three to move one game ahead.SupportA group of Japanese fans with inflated clappers chanted liso Sayaka mo ippon, lizo, lizo Sayaka. Well done, well done Sayaka, one more point, well done, well done Sayaka.

The close win had clearly given Li Jia Wei confidence; in the fourth game she played her best table tennis so far in the tournament. She went ahead 5-2, causing the Japanese camp to call Time Out.

Tactically she played in a very astute manner, a controlled first topspin into the backhand of her opponent and then a fast attack. She moved into an 8-2 lead, she reduced the arrears to 8-6 as Li Jia Wei became somewhat passive but the mountain was too high to climb. Li Jia Wei won the game 11-8 and Singapore had breathing space.

The momentum was now with Singapore; Feng Tianwei was outstanding. She did not give Ai Fukuhara time to breathe.Credit to the Japanese player she fought tooth and nail but Feng Tianwei always held the upper hand.She won in three straight games and thus guided Singapore into the final; it from Feng Tianwei and from the whole Singapore team a most impressive performance.

Result
JAPAN 0-3 SINGAPORE
Kasumi Ishikawa v Wang Yue Gu 10-12, 9-11, 4-11
Sayaka Hirano v Li Jia Wei 11-6, 7-11, 11-13, 8-11
Ai Fukuhara v Feng Tianwei 8-11, 5-11, 8-11

(Source: ITTF Website)




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