| Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor |
| Wang Yue Gu Stages Remarkable Recovery to Win Her First ITTF Pro Tour Title |
 Press Release No.7
Sunday 24th September 2006
Wang Yue Gu Stages Remarkable Recovery to Win Her First ITTF Pro Tour Title
Singapore’s Wang Yue Gu clinched her first ever title on the ITTF Pro Tour when she won the Women’s Singles event at the Volkswagen Open Japan on Sunday 24th September 2006.
The twenty-six year old, who hails from Liaoning in China, moved to Singapore in December 2004 in an effort to secure more opportunities to show her worth at international level. In Yokohama she showed her worth and great strength of character.
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In the sixth game of the final against top seed, China’s Guo Yan, she trailed by three games to two and was in arrears 5-10 in the sixth. She faced five match points; she saved all five, won the next two and extended the contest to seven games. A dramatic recovery and more drama followed. In the seventh game she trailed 4-7; then she won ten points in row to hold three match points. Now, it was Guo Yan’s turn to stage a recovery. The Chinese star, ranked three in the world, levelled and then held match points at 11-10 and 12-11 before the tenth seed won three points in a row to secure victory.
Wang Yue Gu beat Gao Yan 8-11, 14-12, 7-11, 4-11, 11-9, 12-10, 14-12.
It was the third time that Wang Yue Gu and Guo Yan had played in a world ranking event and it was the first time that Wang Yue Gu had won a single game; in all the previous encounters, Guo Yan had always won in four straight games.
An enthralling Women’s Singles final, in contrast the Men’s Singles final was very much one way traffic. Top seed Wang Liqin beat his Chinese colleague Wang Hao in straight games, it was the eleventh time the two had met in a world ranking event and it was the tenth time that Wang Liqin had won. The only victory for Wang Hao had come on the biggest stage of all, the semi-finals of the Men’s Singles event at the Olympic Games in 2004.
Wang Liqin overcame Wang Hao 12-10, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8.
Defeat for Wang Hao in the singles but success in the doubles and an anniversary. Ma Lin and Wang Hao won the Men’s Doubles title beating Chen Qi and Wang Liqin in the final. They won their first career Men’s Doubles title at the Japan Open on Sunday 24th September 2001 beating the Koreans Kim Taek Soo and Oh Sang Eun in the final. Exactly five years later they won their fourth career title recovering from a three games to nil victory to secure success.
Ma Lin and Wang Hao beat Chen Qi and Wang Liqin 7-11, 10-12, 4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6, 11-6.
Victory for China in the final of the Men’s Doubles event but not in the Women’s Doubles, where familiarity counted; Tie Yana and Zhang Rui of Hong Kong won their eighth ITTF Pro Tour Women’s Doubles title beating China’s Chen Qing and Wang Nan in the final. It was the first time that Chen Qing and Wang Nan had partnered each other in a Women’s Doubles contest at international level.
Tie Yana and Zhang Rui beat Chen Qing and Wang Nan 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 12-10.
For full results and reports visit www.ittf.com
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