1/23/2010 2010 Petrol Slovenia Open - ITTF Pro Tour

In January 2009 it nearly happened at the Slovenian Open and later in the same year in June, it nearly happened at the Japan Open.

In January 2010, it did happen and according to my failing memory, it is the first time it has ever happened, since the ITTF Pro Tour started in the English market town of Kettering in 1996.

What happened?

A player who had been required to compete in the qualification stage of a Men’s Singles event on the ITTF Pro Tour finished the event standing proudly on the top step of the medal podium.

 1/23/2010 2010 Petrol Slovenia Open - ITTF Pro Tour

Poland’s delightful 23 year old backspin queen, Li Qian, won the Women’s Singles title at the Petrol Slovenian Open in Velenje on Saturday 23rd January 2010.

In so doing she collected her third Women’s Singles title on the ITTF Pro Tour and she repeated the success of her most recent meeting with Hungary’s Krisztina Toth.

At the Austrian Open in November 2008, Li Qian had beaten Krisztina Toth in five games at the final hurdle.

In Velenji in 2010 she succeeded in one game less.

 1/23/2010 2010 Petrol Slovenia Open - ITTF Pro Tour

“Wake up”, shouted my late father at 6.00am on the morning of 25th February 1964. “You must watch this!”

My answer was quick and quizzical: “He won!”

The reply was equally quick and in the affirmative.

My father had been listening to the radio and soon after BBC television broadcast the sporting contest; the odds on favourite, the man everyone feared, had been beaten.

It was a moment of sporting history.

 1/23/2010 2010 Petrol Slovenia Open - ITTF Pro Tour

Russia’s Svetlana Ganina and Viktoria Pavlovich of Belarus won the Women’s Doubles title at the Petrol Slovenian Open in Velenje on Saturday 23rd January 2010 and in so doing reversed the result of two years earlier.

In January 2007 at the Slovenian Open, the Netherlands partnership of Li Jie and Elena Timina had recorded a quarter-final victory over Svetlana Ganina and Viktoria Pavlovich before losing to eventual winners Guo Yan and Zhang Yining of China.

At the 2010 Slovenian Open it was success for the vanquished of three years earlier but it was close.

 1/23/2010 2010 Petrol Slovenia Open - ITTF Pro Tour

Two upsets and two defeats for Germany that was the scenario, following the conclusion of the semi-finals of the Men’s Singles event at the Petrol Slovenian Open in Velenje on Saturday 23rd January 2010.

Germany’s Zoltan Fejer-Konnerth, seeded no.23 and Bastian Steger, seeded no.5, both fell to lower ranked opposition.

Zoltan Fejer-Konnerth was beaten by Korean qualifier Lee Sang Su, whilst Bastian Steger suffered at the hands of the powerful Swede, Jens Lundqvist, the no.10 seed.

 1/23/2010 2010 Petrol Slovenia Open - ITTF Pro Tour

Poland’s Li Qian, the no.6 seed and Hungary’s Krisztina Toth, seeded one place higher, reached the final of the Women’s Singles event at the Petrol Slovenian Open in Velenje on Saturday 23rd January 2010.

The former caused somewhat of an upset by beating top seed Korea’s Park Mi Young, whilst the latter defeated Veronika Pavlovich of Belarus in a contest that went very much to form.

Li Qian won in five games, making the better start and being totally dominant as the contest concluded; whilst after a dismal start Krisztina Toth accelerated and asserted her authority on proceedings to succeed in six games.

 1/22/2010 2010 Petrol Slovenia Open - ITTF Pro Tour

One fact is certain in the Under 21 Men’s Singles event and the same fact is certain in the Under 21 Women’s Singles competition at the Petrol Slovenian Open in Velenje.

The name of the country that will win gold and silver is known; in the male event it will be Korea, in the female competition it will be Poland.

In the final of the Under 21 Men’s Singles competition Seo Hyun Deok faces Kim Min Seok; whilst in the counterpart female competition Natalia Partyka confronts Katarzyna Grzybowska.