by Ian Marshall, Editor
Quan Kaiyuan, the winner earlier this year in April in Belgium and on home soil in June in Taicang, is the top seed; Tai Ming-Wei is the no.2 seed. Likewise he succeeded when playing on home turf, he won in Taipei City in September, before more recently prevailing in late October in Oman.
Additionally, in April, Tai Ming-Wei was the runner up in Australia, beaten by colleague Huang Yu-Jen, a defeat he avenged when they met in Oman. In Szombathely, Huang Yu-Jen is the no.5 seed.
Sandwiched in between on the junior boys’ singles seeding is the host nation’s Csaba Andras and Germany’s Kay Stumper. Csaba Andras was the runner up in Poland in May before in July in Ostrava reaching the quarter-final round at the European Youth Championships.
Quarter-finalists
A last eight place for Csaba Andras in Ostrava; that is the best for Kay Stumper as well as for Belgium’s Adrien Rassenfosse, the no.6 seed, on this year’s ITTF World Junior Circuit. Both progressed to the last eight in France, the round Kay Stumper also reached in Italy as did Adrien Rassenfosse in the Czech Republic.
Worthy performances but those of Nikhil Kumar and China’s Zeng Beixun, the players who complete the top eight names are even more worthy. Nikhil Kumar was a semi-finalist in Sweden, the runner up in France; similarly, Zeng Beixun was a runner up in Italy prior to reaching the penultimate round in Belgium.
Enjoyed success
Similarly, the leading names in the junior girls’ singles event have all enjoyed ITTF World Junior Circuit success this year. Chinese Taipei’s Yu Hsiu-Ting heads the list followed by Italy’s Jamila Laurenti, Russia’s Elizabet Abraamian and Darya Kisel of Belarus.
In addition to being a semi-finalist in Hong Kong and the runner up in Chinese Taipei, Yu Hsui-Ting won in Australia accounting for compatriot Chien Tung-Chuan in the final; in Szombathely, Chien-Tung Chuan is the no.7 seed.
Likewise Elizabet Abraamian, the runner up in May in Spain emerged victorious later in the year in Serbia, claiming the title at the final expense of Russia’s Natalia Malinina, the no.6 seed in Szombathely.
Silver medallist at European Youth Championships
Silver for Elizabet Abraamian; that was the quite outstanding feat achieved by Jamila Laurenti at the European Youth Championships, notably accounting for Darya Kisel at the semi-final stage.
Moreover, as with Darya Kisel, Jamila Laurenti has impressed on this year’s ITTF World Junior Circuit. She was a semi-finalist in a France; one step below, Darya Kisel advanced to the quarter-final round in both Sweden and Croatia.
The last eight; that is also the lot of Germany’s Sophia Klee and Anastasia Bondareva, both prominent in Szombathely. Sophia Klee, the no.5 seed, reached the quarter-final stage in Italy, Anastasia Bondareva, the same round in Hong Kong.
Same again
Major names in the junior boys’ singles and junior girls’ singles events; it is the same in the junior boys’ doubles and junior girls’ doubles.
Tai Ming Wei and colleague Huang Yan-Cheng head the junior boys’ doubles seeding, ahead of the Chinese Taipei pairing formed by Quan Kaiyuan and Liang Guodong. Meanwhile, Chien Tung-Chuan and Yu Hsiu-Ting occupy the junior girls’ doubles top seeded spot; next in line is Anastasia Bondareva and Sophia Klee.
Play begins with the junior boys’ singles, junior girls’ singles, junior boys’ doubles and junior girls’ doubles events; the team events commence in Friday 8th November.
