| Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor | |
| Wang Hao Retains Men’s Singles Title in Devastating Style at Gorenje Slovenian Open | |
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China’s Wang Hao retained his Men’s Singles title in Velenje on Saturday 27th January 2007. One year ago at the Liebherr Slovenian Open he beat colleague Chen Qi in the final. One year later at the Gorenje Slovenian Open he overcame Korea’s Ryu Seung Min in the gold medal contest. Furthermore, he succeeded in convincing style. He won 11-9, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7. |
| Injury “A few months ago I hurt my knee, it hasn't healed yet, so I was playing with an injured knee”, said Wang Hao. “However, the final today did not prove too difficult; the toughest match was in the quarter-finals.” The quarter-final encounter was also against a Korean, Joo Se Hyuk, the match went the full seven games distance with the sixth game proving crucial. Wang Hao won that game 16-14; had he lost, his progress would have been terminated. Record Wang Hao has a splendid record against Ryu Seung Min, they have now met on fourteen occasions in World Ranking events and Wang Hao has won twelve times. Ryu Seung Min won on the first occasion that they met, the Boys’ Singles final at the Asian Championships in September 1999 and of course he won the most famous of all their meetings, the Men’s Singles final at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. Hurts The contest in Athens is one that clearly still preys on the mind of both players. For Wang Hao it must still hurt, it’s the only time he has lost to Ryu Seung Min in World Ranking events when a senior player, whilst for Ryu Seung Min, he has the view that if you can beat somebody once then you can beat them again. Learn from Mistakes “When I lose to a player I try to work out how to beat them next time, I try to learn from my mistakes”, said Wang Hao, clearly referring to the defeat in Athens. “At this tournament I have played better and better”, he continued. “My condition improved from one game to the next.” Future Meeting Equally, Ryu Seung Min had their most famous encounter on his mind. “Today I simply played badly, Wang Hao played perfectly”, explained Ryu Seung Min. “However well I play it’s always hard to beat him; it would be good to beat him again, perhaps in Beijing in 2008?” Maybe, who knows but in Velenje, Wang Hao was in control. Eighth Title It was his eighth ITTF Pro Tour Men’s Singles title; now he has won on six occasions in open international tournaments and twice at the Grand Finals. The first win came in 2002 in Cairo at the Egyptian Open, the second later in the year in Eindhoven at the Netherlands Open. In 2003 he won the Croatian Open and in 2004 the Greek Open to add to the two wins he was to gain in Slovenia in 2006 and now in 2007. Meanwhile, at the Volkswagen Pro Tour Grand Finals he won in 2003 in Guangzhou and in 2006 in Hong Kong. Form Maintained He finished 2006 in splendid form and he reproduced that form in Velenje to become the 2007 Gorenje Slovenian Open Men’s Singles champion. |
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