by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor
However, for fellow qualifiers who had reached the second round of the Women’s Singles event it was the end of the road but not without moments of consternation for one notable name; Korea’s Choi Moonyoung came within a whisker of beating Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem, the no.4 seed. Eventually she was beaten by the minimal two point margin in the deciding seventh game (4-11, 3-11, 11-8, 11-4, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9).
A close call and testing times for one further name; Ukraine’s Ievgeniia Vasylieva extended Germany’s Nina Mittelham, the no.26 seed, to six games (7-11, 13-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-4) but for India’s Pooja Sahasrabudhe and England’s Tin-Tin Ho, likewise qualifiers, the margin of defeat was more emphatic. Pooja Sahasrabudhe was beaten in straight games by Japan’s Saki Shibata, the no.7 seed (11-9, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5); Tin-Tin Ho found the defensive skills of the host nation’s Li Qian simply too solid (11-4, 11-5, 11-7, 11-2).
Success as status advised but in addition to Satsuki Odo, there were surprises with defensive players at the heart of the action.
Norway’s Ma Wenting, the no.24 seed, overcame the backspin attributes extolled by Viktoria Pavlovich of Belarus, the no.11 seed (11-4, 11-5, 11-7, 3-11, 7-11, 11-7). In a contest where two defenders met, Sweden’s Linda Bergström, the no.32 seed, caused the biggest upset of the round by beating Russia’s Polina Mikhailova, the no.12 seed (8-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-3, 11-6, 11-9).
Otherwise, it was success for the leading names.
Additional to Doo Hoi Kem, Japan’s Mima Ito, the top seed, beat colleague Miyuu Kihara, the no.22 seed (11-8, 9-11, 5-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-3, 11-5), Turkey’s Hu Melek, the no.22 seed, overcame Serbia’s Andrea Todorovic, the no.31 seed (11-8, 11-5, 16-14, 11-9), whilst Miyu Kato the no.3 seed and likewise from Japan, ended the progress of Brazil’s Gui Lin, the no.28 seed (11-9, 11-8, 14-12, 11-6).
