World Junior Circuit

Chen Yi adds to title haul, Honami Nakamori and Sakura Yokoi prevent Chinese clean sweep

18 Feb 2018

Success for China’s Chen Yi in the Cadet Girls’ Singles event on Sunday 18th February at the 2018 Czech Junior and Cadet Open in Hodonin but there was to be no clean sweep.

Every title on offer prior to the concluding day of play had finished in Chinese hands; on the last day of play, Japan’s Honami Nakamori and Sakura Yokoi dented the full house aspirations.

Honami Nakamori (left) and (right) Sakura Yokoi, the Cadet Girls' Doubles champions in Hodonin (Photo: Jan Brychta)

by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Manager

The duo won the Cadet Girls’ Doubles event, the significant win being the quarter-final success in opposition the China’s Yang Yiyun and Zhang Xiaoyu, the players who had joined forces the previous day with Chen Yi to win the Cadet Girls’ Team top prize. Imposingly they had prevailed without surrendering a single individual match.

After overcoming Serbia’s Reka Bezeg and Radmila Tominjak, the no.3 seeds, by the very narrowest of margins (7-11, 3-11, 11-9, 14-12, 12-10) Yang Yiyun and Zhang Xiaoyu experienced defeat in four games at the hands of Honami Nakamori and Sakura Yokoi (11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7).

Success against Yang Yiyun and Zhang Xiaoyu was followed by success in opposition to the French pairing of Chloe Chomis and Prithika Pavade, the no.2 seeds (14-12, 9-11, 4-11, 11-6, 11-2), before the title was eventually secured with victory being recorded in opposition to the partnership comprising Croatia’s Hana Arapovic and the Czech Republic’s Linda Zaderova, the no.4 seeds (11-2, 11-9, 11-8).

Defeat for Hana Arapovic and Linda Zaderova but they could be more than content with their efforts; at the semi-final stage they had ended the progress of Romania’s Luciana Mitrofan and Elena Zaharia, the top seeds (11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 12-14, 12-10).

Bronze the colour for Elena Zaharia in the Cadet Girls’ Doubles event; in the Cadet Girls’ Singles competition it was silver; the top seed, after accounting for Prithika Pavade, the no.3 seed, in the penultimate round (5-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8), she suffered defeat at the final hurdle in opposition to Chen Yi (11-7, 11-4, 12-10).

Impressive from Chen Yi, it had been the same throughout; notably at the semi-final stage she accounted for colleague, Yang Yiyun (11-6, 11-5, 10-12, 11-7), the quarter-final winner in opposition to India’s Diya Parag Chitale, the no.2 seed (11-4, 11-6, 11-2).

Most impressively, it was third podium finish of the tournament for Chen Yi; in addition to being a member of the successful Chinese Cadet Girls’ Team, on the second day of action she had finished in runners up position in harness with Huang Fanzhen in the Junior Girls’ Doubles event.

Play in Hodonin concluded, attention now turns to Örebro, the Swedish Junior and Cadet Open commences on Wednesday 21st February.

World Junior Circuit 2018 Czech Junior & Cadet Open Elena Zaharia Chen Yi Sakura Yokoi Honami Nakamori

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