… The Korea Table Tennis Association found a title sponsor for the event which will secure the future for the event for several years.

… The event enjoyed tremendous "live" TV coverage in Korea which was rewarded by excellent results from the Korean players winning a large part of the prize money and the coveted men's singles title and runner-up. It seems that Koreans are now very good with the 11-point games!

… During the finals the crowd was estimated at around 5,000 spectators.
Japan Open

… I attended the first day of matches and I was very satisfied with the 11-point games.

… The Japan Open is as usual very well organised and well prepared. This year, the JTTA has found two new sponsors (not table tennis related) that are willing to sponsor the event for several years. I discussed with the Secretary General (Sachiko Yokota) how to enhance the event in the future.

… There seems to be renewed public interest in the Japan Open and the city of Kobe is very supportive of the event.

… In my humble opinion, I believe that Japan has tremendous potential on all P4 fronts: profit (sponsorship), participation and popularity, the objective must be to take advantage of the tremendous existing potential.

11 points

… Both at the Korean Open and at the Japan Open many upsets occurred. It seems that the 11-point games are very stressful on the stronger player. Younger players and weaker players seem to be able to beat stronger players. I believe that it will take some time for the higher ranked players to adjust. At the moment they seem very vulnerable to the lower ranked players beating them. In my opinion I think that this is a good thing and that eventually the real ranking will again find its place. For the moment we are witnessing a lot of excitement and a real dramatic effect.

… I spoke to several players, coaches, umpires and spectators about the shorter games. In general everyone is favourable with the change but I was also told that the new counting system is very disruptive in doubles. We must wait and see if in the future an adjustment may be needed in doubles.

… Spectators enjoy this new quick game with many dramatic and exciting moments.

… At the Korean Open the TV was very pleased with the change and thought that it was much better for their coverage.

The ITTF family is growing

Two new table tennis players joined the ITTF in September. In the beginning of the month Vladimir Samsonov became a father to a beautiful, sound and big son – though all the participants at the Japan Open who saw the photos of the new citizen can confirm that he looks tiny in the arms of big Vladi.

Also KIM Taek Soo (KOR) became a father. After the Korean ace won the title in Men’s Singles at the SMK Korea Open KIM’s wife gave him another title: father to a new born beautiful daughter.

The ITTF congratulates both families.

Fukuhara’s stardom
She is only 12 years old but already a well known television star nation wide. Nobody in Japan is talking table tennis without mentioning Ai FUKUHARA.

With her parents taking her into the World of table tennis FUKUHARA started playing already at the age of 3 – at 10 she was already good enough to play – and occasionally beat – the adult players, and she became a TV-star frequently used in television advertisements for kids. At 10 she turned professional – and FUKUHARA’s earnings are not pocket money – millions are running into her account.

At the Japan Open TV-crews were constantly following her. 5 TV-stations were registering her first match in the qualification group. She did not disappoint them since she qualified from the group, and in the round of the last 32 she surprisingly beat SUK Eun Mi (KOR) who was nr. 37 on the World Ranking.

Then it was over though. FUKUHARA lost to ZHANG Rui (CHN) in a match that she could as well have won.

She went up 3-1 against the Chinese. But slowly ZHANG got her game going and after winning two close games she took the last and decisive game easily.

“FUKUHARA time” was over – but the small Japanese is talented and her victory over SUK Eun Mi (KOR) almost brought her into top 100 in the World. On the new World Ranking she moved from nr. 123 to nr. 102 – and still only 12 years old.

Back to anonymity

At the SMK Korea Open he came from nowhere to become the hero of the home crowd. At the Japan Open he was back to anonymity.

KIM Gun Whan (KOR) entered the men’s singles at the Korea Open without being on the World Ranking at all so when he beat the World Cup winner MA Lin (CHN) - who is nr. 4 in the World - everybody was surprised. It wasn’t a one time hit though – KIM also overcame the Greek Ntaniel TSIOKAS (nr. 62) and the Dane Allan Bentsen (nr. 49) to advance to the quarter-finals before he had to surrender to the former World Champion LIU Guoliang (CHN).

At the Japan Open KIM Gun Hwan was back into anonymity. The 23 years old Korean qualified from group 5, but in the round of the last 64 he lost to Lars HIELSCHER (GER). KIM Gun Hwan’s good results at the Korea Open though brought him directly into the World Ranking – as nr. 56 on the October ranking.