by Ian Marshall, Editor
In the final of the junior boys’ team event facing Russia, Zeng Beixun gave his team the ideal start; he beat Lev Katsman in four games (11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 12-10). Any nerves quelled, Xiang Peng doubled the advantage by overcoming Artem Tikhonov in straight games (12-10, 11-6, 11-7), before by a similar margin Gao Yang brought matters to a conclusion. He accounted for Nikita Moshkov (11-5, 11-6, 11-3).
Convincing in the final, it had been just the same earlier in the day. At the quarter-final stage, the same trio had recorded an equally imposing win against the Belgium outfit comprising Olav Kosolosky, Adrien Rassenfosse and Nicolas Degros, prior to securing a semi-final victory in an equally dramatic manner.
They overcame the Hungarian trio formed by Csaba Andras, Oliver Both and Patrik Juhasz; not a morsel of charity offered. Similarly, in the cadet boys’ team competition, selecting Chen Yuanyu, Lin Shidong and Huang Youzheng, it was one emphatic win after another.
At the quarter-final stage, the Hungarian duo comprising David Szantosi and Erik Huzsvar was put to the sword, before the Czech Republic’s Onrej Kveton, Simon Belik and Vit Kadlec experienced a similar fate.
A place in the final booked, the Romanian selection comprising, with Darius Movileau and Andrei Tomica competing in the singles matches, followed by Iulian Chirita and Dragos Alexandru Bujor forming the doubles pair, the outcome was as unrelenting as in the previous rounds.
Attention now turns to the cadet boys’ singles, cadet boys’ doubles and hopes boys’ singles events; play concludes in Lignano on Sunday 24th March.
