by Ian Marshall, Editor
A player with minimal international experience, to some extent Pyon Song Gyong emulated her compatriot Kim Song I. In her first match at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games she caused a major surprise. She beat China’s Gu Yuting, the eventual champion!
The success recorded by Pyon Song Gyong was one of two upsets in the early stage group matches of Women’s Singles event; the one other was that recorded by Slovenia’s Alexandra Vovk. The no.26 seed, in the early afternoon she accounted for Egypt’s Marwa Alhodaby, the no.12 seed (9-11, 14-12, 11-5, 11-3, 7-11, 11-9).
Otherwise, for the leading names it was success but there were close calls.
Chinese Taipei’s Su Pei-Ling, the no.3 seed, needed the full seven games to overcome Azerbaijan’s Ning Jing, the no.18 seed and winner two months ago of the Junior Girls’ Singles title at the European Youth Championships (3-11, 11-3, 16-18, 10-12, 12-10, 12-10, 11-8, 11-8).
Likewise, Serbia’s Sabina Surjan, the no.5 seed, was stretched to the limit by Slovakia’s Tatiana Kukulkova, the no.23 seed, the player against whom she had experienced defeat at the quarter-final stage of the first knock-out tournament at the Road to Buenos Aires Africa tournament in Rades, Tunisia. On that occasion she had suffered by the very minimal two point margin in the deciding seventh game (7-11, 10-12, 11-4, 9-11, 11-3, 13-11, 11-9): in Buenos Aires she succeeded by the same margin as that by which she had experienced defeat (8-11, 11-8, 11-13, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9).
Close calls for Su Pei-Ling and Sabina Surjan, for the other leading names as mattes began, life was less fraught.
Japan’s Miu Hirano, the top seed, beat Nadezhda Bogdanova of Belarus, the no.20 seed (11-6, 11-6, 11-2, 11-3), China Sung Yingsha, the no.2 seed, accounted for the Czech Republic’s Zdena Blaskova, the no.17 seed (11-1, 11-2, 11-4, 11-6). Likewise, Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz, the no.4 seed, beat Italy’s Jamila Laurenti, the no.19 seed (11-4, 9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-8): India’s Archana Girish Kamath, the no.6 seed, defeated Singapore’s Goi Rui Xuan, the no.21 seed (11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9).
“I think I prepared well and the match went normal for me. I’m used to the playing environment here now and I like the weather here in Argentina.” Sun Yingsha
“I’m very happy to be able to win my first match in the group against Jamila, she’s also a very good player.” Adriana Diaz
Play in the first stage of the Women’s Singles event continues later in the day.
