by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor
Likewise, Hong Kong’s Maurice Chong Kai Ning, the no.3 seed and Lau Chun Kit, the no.4 seed, with one match still to play, remained unbeaten.
It was a very similar situation in the Cadet Girls’ Singles competition where Lee Ka Yee and Chau Wing Sze, both also from Hong Kong, the top two names, completed their initial phase matches without defeat, as did the next in line, Chinese Taipei’s Chen Tung-Chen.
Meanwhile, for Chen Tung-Chen’s colleague, Huang Yu-Jie, the no.4 seed, who has still one match to complete, it was two visits to the table, two wins.
Fine performances but the performances to catch the eye were those of Iran’s 11 year old Navid Shams and Singapore’s 12 year old Zhou Yingyi, the respective winners of the Boys’ Singles and Girls’ Singles titles at the recent 2017 Asia Hopes Camp and Challenge staged in Bangkok from Sunday 30th April to Tuesday 9th May.
Navid Shams beat Singapore’s Jabed Mason Law, the no.8 seed (5-11, 14-12, 7-11, 11-4, 11-9) before overcoming Sweden’s Teodor Siljeholm (11-8, 11-9, 11-5); one match remaining, the prospects of a place in the main draw look bright.
In a competition where players finishing in first and second places in each group advance to the main draw, Navid Shams faces Thailand’s Nawin Mekamporn in the concluding contest. Earlier in the day Nawin Mekamporn overcame Teodor Siljeholm (11-5, 11-8, 11-2), before losing a five distance titanic duel in opposition to Jabed Mason Law (13-11, 6-11, 15-17, 11-9, 19-17).
Success somewhat against the odds; for Zhou Jingyi the outcome was expected. The no.8 seed, she accounted for Malaysia’s Karen Lyne (11-4, 11-6, 11-8), prior to beating Sweden’s Leah Tveit Muskantor (11-6, 11-3, 11-5).
In her one remaining group phase match, she confronts the host nation’s Bochompho Thongsvat; the winner earlier in the day against Leah Tveit Muskantor 11-5, 10-12, 12-10, 4-11, 11-7) but later beaten by Karen Lyne (11-6, 6-11, 12-10, 11-7).
Play in the group qualification stage of both the Cadet Boys’ Singles and Cadet Girls’ Singles event concludes on Saturday 13th May.
Photos: Nakares Terakashimi
