Thursday, June 11, 2009
4:10 AM
ITTF Pro Tour Japan Open - Top Seeds in the Women's Doubles
Despite the absence of our top male and female paddlers Gao Ning, Wang Yue Gu and Feng Tianwei, Singapore is one of the strong medal contenders for the Japan Open. Although it is hard to make a clean sweep with players like South Korea's Joo Se Hyuk and Park Mi Young. Joo and Park are the top seeds for the Men's and Women's Singles Event respectively.

Yang Zi is the only Singaporean to receive a direct qualification into the Men's Singles Main Draw. The no. 15 seed's progress is likely to be halted in the 2nd round, where he will be facing 2nd seed, Germany's Ovtcharov Dimitrij.

Singapore's Sun Bei Bei and Yu Meng Yu are the 4th and 5th seeds in the Women's Singles Event respectively. Their opponents are relatively easy to be dealt with but only one will progress to the Semi-Finals since they will be meeting one another in the Quarter Finals. 

Meanwhile Pang Xue Jie, Ma Liang, Liu Zhong Ze, Sim Kai Xin Zena and Ma Ming Lu will have to compete in the Preliminary Round. Pang Xue Jie is grouped together wih South Korea's Lee Sang Su and Japan's Takakiwa Taku. Both players are ranked higher than him. Ma Liang is drawn together with 2 host nation players, Tsuboguchi Michikazu and Kasahara Hiromitsu. Liu Zhong Ze is unlucky to be grouped with host nation's Matsudaira Kenji and South Korea's Cho Eon Rae.

Zena will also have to overcome strong opposition before qualifying into the main draw. She will have to take on Yang Ha Eun. This South Korean lady has never lost a single match in the ITTF Junior Circuit this year. Her another opponent is Japanese lady Wakamiya Misako. Meanwhile, Ma Ming Lu will have a tough time fighting against Shim Se Rom and Fujii Yuko also from South Korea and Japan respecetively.

In the Doubles Event, Ma Liang/Yang Zi and Sun Bei Bei/Yu Meng Yu are the 2nd and top seeds in the Men's and Women's Doubles Event respectively. Thier challenge will come in the Semi-Finals where Ma Liang/Yang Zi will meet South Koreans Oh Sang Eun/Yoon Jae Young while Sun Bei Bei/Yu Meng Yu will take on host nation's Fukuhara Ai/Ishikawa Kasumi.




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