05 Jul 2018

Impressive performances; in Taicang on Thursday 5th July, at the 2018 China Junior and Cadet Open, the host nation reigned supreme.

Yuan Licen and Cao Yantao won the Junior Boys’ Team event; Shi Xunyao, Wu Yangchen and Zhang Binyue combined to secure the counterpart Junior Girls’ Team title.

by Ian Marshall, Editor

A group organised event comprising four teams, the Junior Girls’ Team title was secured with three-nil wins being posted in each contest; in the concluding fixture it was the Hong Kong trio of Chau Wing Sze, Fung Wai Chu and Lee Ka Yee who suffered.

Wu Yangchen gave China the ideal start by beating Lee Ka Yee (11-2, 11-5, 11-8), before Shi Xunyao accounted for Chau Wing Sze (11-7, 11-5, 11-6). Matters concluded with Wu Yanchen and Zhang Binyue joining forces to beat Fung Wai Chu and Wong Chin Yau (11-8, 11-9, 11-9) to seal the victory.

Alas for Hong Kong it was their third successive defeat; thus fourth place was their lot. Japan’s Haruna Ojio and Moe Nomura beat colleague Hina Kizuka and New Zealand’s Vong Hui Ling by three matches to nil to seal runners up spot.

Meanwhile, in the Junior Boys’ Team event, the performance provided by Yuan Licen and Cao Yantao was equally imposing.

After recording a three-nil win against the combination of Panama’s Jacobo Vahnish and Frenchman Dorian Zheng; a three-one success was posted in the final.

Yuan Licen set his team on the road to victory by beating Hiroto Shinosuka (12-10, 12-10, 11-9), before Cao Yantao doubled the advantage by overcoming Kazuki Hamada (11-7, 11-8, 11-8). Kazuki Hamada and Hiroto Shinozuka stemmed the tide by securing the doubles (11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 9-11, 12-10), before Cao Yantao prevailed against Hiroto Shinozuka to seal victory (11-13, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4).

Earlier at the semi-final stage Kazuki Hamada and Hiroto Shinozuka had beaten colleagues Kakeru Sone and Haruki Harada by the three matches to two; the player to cause the eventual runners up problems being Kakeru Sone. He beat both Kazuki Hamada (12-10, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6) and Hiroto Shinozuka (11-5, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6).

Play in the team events over, attention now turns to the individual competitions; proceedings conclude on Sunday 8th July.

World Junior Circuit 2018 China Junior & Cadet Open Shi Xunyao Yuan Licen Zhang Binyue Cao Yantao Wu Yangchen