06/11/2011        2011 Brazil Open - ITTF Pro Tour

Success came the way of Singapore in the Under 21 events at the Brazil Open in Rio de Janeiro on the evening of Saturday 11th June 2011.

Chen Feng was crowned Under 21 Men’s Singles champion with Zhou Yihan collecting the counterpart Under 21 Women’s Singles crown.

Zhou Yihan, the no.1 seed, accounted for Wu Yue, the no.2 seed, from the United States in six games (11-8, 11-5, 8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5); whilst for Chen Feng, the no.2 seed, the final was an anti-climax.

Injury Forced Concession
Germany’s Patrick Franziska, the no.1 seed, was forced to concede in the opening game, the shoulder injury which had plagued him the previous day when forced to withdraw against the same player in the Men’s Singles event, proved too great for him to continue.

It is the first time Chen Feng and Zhou Yihan have secured ITTF Pro Tour Under 21 titles

Female Success Continues
Meanwhile, in the Women’s Doubles event; just as in the Women’s Singles competition, Singapore ruled supreme on the third day of action in the Maracanazinho Stadium.

Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu, the no.1 seeds, progressed to the final as did Sun Beibei and Yu Mengyu, the no.2 seeds.

At the quarter-final stage, Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu beat Brazil’s Ligia Silva and Jessica Yamada (9-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-1, 11-5) before accounting for Korea’s Moon Bo Sun and Yoon Su Won in the semi-finals (7-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-3, 9-11, 11-5).


Success for Singapore in the Women’s Doubles event but there was not to be success in the counterpart Men’s Doubles competition.

Quarter-Finals
Yang Zi and Zhan Jian, the no.1 seeds, received a walk-over at the quarter-final stage, with the German pairing of Ruwen Filus and Patrick Franziska withdrawing from the event owing to the latter’s injury.

Similarly, Chen Feng and Li Hu enioyed a quarter-final victory; they beat Belgium’s Benjamin Rogiers and Yannick Vostes (11-7, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9) but at the semi-final stage both Singapore partnerships suffered close seven games defeats.

Semi-Finals
Germany’s Lars Hielscher and Bastian Steger, the no.4 seeds, defeated Yang Zi and Zhan Jian (11-4, 9-11, 13-15, 11-7, 11-5, 2-11, 13-11); whilst Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia and João Monteiro, the no.2 seeds, overcame Chen Feng and Li Hu (11-8, 11-9, 4-11, 6-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-8).