2/21/2010 2010 Hungarian Junior Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

Korea’s Cho Jae Jun made it a good day for 15 year old at the Hungarian Junior Open in Tata on Sunday 21st February 2010 by capturing the Boys’ Singles crown to emulate the feat earlier in the proceedings of Thailand’s Suthasini Sawettabut.

She won the Girls’ Singles crown and is only 15 years old

Victories by two players both in the first year as a fully fledged juniors may not be unique on the ITTF Junior Circuit but if it has happened before, it has rarely happened before.

 2/21/2010 2010 Hungarian Junior Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

Thailand’s 15 year old Suthasini Sawettabut completed the Hungarian Junior Open in Tata as the most successful female player in the individual events.

On Sunday 21st February 2010, she won the Girls’ Singles title and with Moldova’s Sofia Polcanova, the Girls’ Doubles crown.

Victory in the Girls’ Singles event was her first ever such success on the ITTF Junior Circuit and is most certainly a major for any aspirations she may possess of qualifying for the ITTF Junior Circuit Finals later in the year.

 2/20/2010 2010 Hungarian Junior Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

Tension packed finals brought the Boys’ Team and the Girls’ Team competition to a close at the Hungarian Junior Open in Tata on Saturday 20th February 2010.

Both were thrilling encounters, both went the full distance, with the Girls’ Team final in particular keeping both sets of supporters on the very edges of their seats.

France clinched victory with the deciding duel seeing Stéphanie Loeuillette emerge as her country’s heroine. In as full distance five games duel she saved two match points before beating Serbia’s Aliz Durcek 12-10 in the final game to secure gold for the French.

 2/20/2010 2010 Hungarian Junior Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

The leading names in the Boys’ Singles event at the Hungarian Junior Open in Tata, all negotiated the second round of proceedings on Saturday 20th February 2010 to secure third round places.

Top seed, the Czech Republic’s Pavel Sirucek overcame the host nation’s Richard Lukacs without due alarm; whilst in similar vein, Slovenia’s Jan Zibrat, the no.2 seed, enjoyed success.

He defeated Poland’s Jakub Dorocinski in five games on his first visit to the table.

 2/20/2010 2010 Hungarian Junior Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

The top eight seeds in the Girls’ Singles event at the Hungarian Junior Open, the latest stop on the ITTF Junior Circuit, all emerged successful in their opening group stage matches on Friday 19th February 2010.

However, for the boys, that was not to be the situation at the close of play on day two in Tata.

Canada’s André Ho and Lithuania’s Arnoldas Domeika both suffered defeats.

 2/19/2010 2010 Hungarian Junior Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

Not listed amongst the top seeded outfits in the Girls’ Team event at the Hungarian Junior Open in Tata; Serbia `B’ caused the biggest upset of the tournament to date when on Friday 19th February 2010, they caused the host nation heartache.

They beat the top seeded Hungarian outfit of Krisztina Ambrus, Dora Madarasz and Mercedes Nagyvaradi to book their place at the final table.

Not only did they succeed, they recorded a three matches to nil win.

However, the result was perhaps somewhat cruel on Hungary; two of the three matches went the full five games distance.

 2/19/2010 2010 Hungarian Junior Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

Represented by Jakub Figel, David Karas and Samuel Novota; Slovakia upset the seeding, to beat top seeds France, at the semi-final stage of the Boys’ Team event at the Hungarian Junior Open in Tata on Friday 19th February 2010.

Seeded no.4, the Slovak Republic trio responded to the occasion to record a thrilling three matches to two victory.

Notably, they made a tactical change for the penultimate round duel, a change that brought success.

It proved to be quite the master stroke.