Romanias Daniela Dodean (Foto de Ayoade Ademakinwa) retained her Under 21 Womens Singles title at the Slovenian Open on Friday 18th January 2008, whilst Emmanuel Lebesson of France maintained the form he had shown in the autumn of 2007 to clinch gold in the counterpart male event.
One year ago at the Gorenje Slovenian Open, Daniela Dodean had beaten the Czech Republics Iveta Vacenovska in the final; one year later she beat compatriot Elizabeta Samara in the title deciding contest. Daniela Dodean won by the very narrowest of margins against her close friend and team mate. She succeeded 11-5, 11-13, 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-13, 14-12.
Extra Experience
A close call but not quite so close for Emmanuel Lebesson.
He recorded a five games victory over Ukraines Kou Lei at the final hurdle winning 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8; a contest in which his experience of having won the Under 21 Mens Singles titles in Russia and France in the latter months of 2007 proving invaluable.
Memorable Win
It was the first appearance on the ITTF Pro Tour for Kou Lei who originates from Beijing and from 2002 to 2004 spent two years in England and made an instant impression.
In his first tournament in the country, which was held in the south of England, he reached the main draw where he confronted the late Andrzej Grubba of Poland. In a best of five games contest, then sixteen years old, Kou Lei lost the first two games but then won the next three to record a quite sensational victory which stunned onlookers.
Kou Lei rushed to shake hands with Andrzej Grubba and then promptly asked him for his autograph; the Polish legend duly obliged!
Quarters and Semis
At the Slovenian Open Kou Lei accounted for his new found compatriot Yaroslav Zhmudenko in the quarters and Serbias Marco Jevtovic in the semis, whilst at the same stages Emmanuel Lebesson overcame Zolt Pete also of Serbia and French team colleague, Adrian Mattenet.
Top Seeds
Success for Emmanuel Lebesson, the number three seeds in the Under 21 Mens Singles event whilst in the Underr 21 Womens Singles competition it was victory in the final for the top seed over the second seed.
Closest call for Daniela Dodean on her way to the final was against Chinese Taipeis Cheng I-Ching in the quarters, a player who has impressed in Velenje, The Romanian won in seven games before overcoming Zhenqi Barthel of Germany in the semis in straight games.
No Dramas
As for Elizabeta Samara there were no seven game dramas.
At the quarter-final stage she defeated Hungarys Szandra Pergel in five games before overcoming Spains Galia Dvorak in straight games at the penultimate stage.
A duel between the number one and two seeds in the Under 21 Womens Singles final but in the final of both doubles events that will not be the situation on Saturday 19th January 2008.
Second Seeds Through
In the Mens Doubles final second seeds, Chinese Taipeis Chang Yen-Shu and Chiang Peng-Lung face fifth seeds Russias Dimitrij Mazunov and Alexei Smirnov whilst in the Womens Doubles finals it is Netherlands players to the fore but at opposite ends of the table.
Li Jie partners Russias Irina Kotikhina whilst Li Jiao is in harness with Spains Zhu Fang.
Semi-Finals
At the semi-final stage of the Womens Doubles event Irina Kotikhina and Li Jie accounted for the Romanias Danielas Dodean and Elizabeta Samara, whilst Li Jia and Zhu Fang ended the hopes of the Belarus partnership of Tatyana Kostromina and Viktoria Pavlovich.
Meanwhile, at the penultimate stage of the Mens Doubles competition Dimitrij Mazunov and Alexei Smirnov beat their Russian colleagues Alexei Liventsov and Igor Rubtsov whilst Chang Yen-Shu and Chiang Peng-Lung halted to run of Hungarys Janos Jakab and Ferenc Pazsy.
Articol publicat de Ian Marshall (ITTF Publications Editor) pe site-ul Federatiei Internationale de Tenis de Masa, www.ittf.com.