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Joo Se Hyuk now at no.6 on Men's World Rankings
Photo By: Richard Kalocsai
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02/01/2012
Victory over China’s Zhang Jike, the reigning World champion, at the quarter-final stage of the Men’s Singles event the GAC GROUP 2012 ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open in January, was a stunning result for Korea’s Joo Se Hyuk.
It was a result that gave him a passage to the semi-finals where he beat Romania’s Adrian Crisan and then to the final where he extended Zhang Jike’s compatriot Ma Long, the full seven games distance before eventually having to acknowledge defeat.
The astounding victory and the eventually runners up spot are the major reasons why Joo Se Hyuk now enjoys his highest ever career World Ranking.
At Number Six
On the Men’s World Ranking list, issued by the International Table Tennis Federation on Wednesday 1st February 2012, Joo Se Hyuk appears at no.6, a climb of two places from his January status.
He changes places with the Chinese legend, Wang Liqin, who moves in the opposite direction from no.6 to no.8.
No Further Changes
Otherwise, there are no changes amongst elite.
Ma Long, Zhang Jike and Wang Hao occupy the top three respective places, with Germany’s Timo Boll at no.4, followed by Xu Xin at no.5 and Ma Lin at no.7; add Chen Qi to the equation at no.12 and China has no less than seven players amongst the leading male names.
Japan’s Jun Mizutani is at no.9 with Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov one place below and Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chih-Yuan at no.11.
Progress for Adrian Crisan and Chen Weixing
Progress for Joo Se Hyuk as a result of his performance in Hungary and also there is progress for those who excelled on the GAC GROUP 2012 ITTF World Tour in the first month of the year.
Romania’s Adrian Crisan, who beat Austria’s Chen Weixing before losing to Joo Se Hyuk in Hungary, climbs ten places and is now at no.24; whilst despite defeat at the hands of the Romanian in Budapest, there is also progress for Chen Weixing. He moves from no.43 to no.33.
Returning to Position of a Decade Earlier
Similarly, Singapore’s Zhan Jian, who posted a notable win in Hungary over Korea’s Lee Jung Woo before losing to Ma Lin, makes progress; he climbs from no.60 to no.48.
It is a gradual return to a former status; a member of the Chinese National Team at the World Championships in Osaka in 2001, following the global meeting he occupied a top 40 place.
Zhan Jian gradually returning to former glories Photo by Mauricio Val
Different Scenario
However, for China’s 19 year old Yan An, it is a somewhat different story; he achieves a career high on the newly published rankings.
The victor over Chen Weixing in Slovenia before losing to the champion elect, Zhang Jike, Yan An moves from no.61 to no.51.
New Levels
Progress for Yan An who impressed in Slovenia but the most progress of all is reversed for three players who reached new levels in country’s provincial city of Velenje.
Italy’s Mihai Bobocica and Canada’s Eugene Wang both started proceedings in the qualification stage of the Men’s Singles event; both reached the quarter-final stage, losing to the players who occupy the top two places on the World Rankings.
Beaten by the Best
Eugene Wang was beaten by Ma Long, Mihai Bobocica by Zhang Jike. However, for both the result is a victory, both now enjoy their highest world rankings ever.
Mihai Bobocica moves from no.122 to no.73 and Eugene Wang from no.149 to no.94.
New heights for Mihai Bobocica Photo by Ireneusz Kanabrodzki
New Heights
Equally, for the man in form in Hungary and Slovenia, France’s 17 year old Simon Gauzy, there is also a career high ranking.
He is now at no.77, formerly at no.129.
Notably in the Men’s Singles event in Hungary he accounted for Korea’s Kim Min Seok and Portugal’s João Monteiro before losing to Chen Qi; whilst in Hungary he won the Under 21 Men’s Singles event and beat Kim Min Seok’s colleague, Jung Young Sik in both the Men’s Singles and Under 21 Men’s Singles events.
In fact the only player to beat was Zhang Jike in the second round of the Men’s Singles competition.
Sad News for Korea
Defeats for Kim Min Seok and Jung Young Sik plus a first round exit for Lee Sang Su at the hands of the in-form Mihai Bobocica in Hungary makes disappointing reading for Korea.
Kim Min Seok falls from no.24 to no.30, Lee Sang Su from no.31 to 45 and Jung Young Sik departs the top one hundred. He falls from no.93 to no.103.
Under 21 Men’s Rankings
Similarly it is a move in the downward direction for Kim Min Seok in the Under 21 Men’s Rankings.
He descends one step down the ladder to no.3, changing places with colleague Seo Hyun Deok.
Simon Gauzy beat both Kim Min Seok and Jung Young Sik in Janyary Photo by Mauricio Val
More Progress for Frenchman
Japan’s Koki Niwa remains at no.1 as he does on the Under 18 Boys’ Rankings with China’s Lin Gaoyuan at no.2; however, one place below there is change.
Simon Gauzy is now at no.5 with the Chinese duo of Wu Jiaji and Yin Hang both falling one place to make way for the Frenchman.
Wu Jiaji is now at no.4, Yin Hang at no.5.
Puerto Rico Visit Cements Status
The progress gained by Simon Gauzy is as a direct result of his successes in Hungary and Slovenia.
Equally, the successes secured by China’s Zhou Qihao in Puerto Rico at the ITTF Cadet Challenge are reasons why he retains the no.1 place on the Under 15 Boys’ Rankings.
He appears in top place ahead of colleagues Yu Ziyang and Wei Shihao who retain their respective January rankings.
Zhou Qihao retains his no.1 Cadet Boys’ Ranking Photo by Quirque Aparicio
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