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Guo Yue/Guo Yan first Chinese ousted from ProTour finals
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-12-10 18:01
Guo Yue and Guo Yan came out Saturday the first Chinese exiting from the
table tennis ProTour Grand Finals.
The Guos, the sole pair of China entering women's doubles of the 240,000 US
dollars year-ending event with a wildcard, were beaten 11-8, 11-5, 11-9, 4-11,
9-11, 14-12 by Chinese-born Gao Jun and Shen Yanfei, who play for the United
States and Spain respectively, in the knock-out first round match.
Failing to tune up with the rhythm of the match from the very beginning, Guo
Yue and Guo Yan shortly went three sets down, while Gao and Shen, who paired up
for the first time, successfully made their rivals under pressure.
The Chinese duo were given a slim chance of launching a late comeback, taking
the following set 11-4, as Gao and Shen intended apparently to lie on their
backs for a while.
Guo Yue and Guo Yan then calmed down and found some consistency in their game
to perform the best out of themselves in the fifth set as they played a 6-1 run
to overtake the lead 9-8 from trailing 7-4 before making it 11-9.
But the combination at the other end of the table soon took back the control
with wonderful spin from Shen and watertight block from the 36-year-old Gao,
following narrowly after the Chinese pair and managing three points in straight
for a 14-12 sixth set win.
"From the beginning, they (Guo Yue and Guo Yan) didn't feel our balls very
well and lost many easy balls. That's why we led 3-0 with ease," said Gao after
the match.
"What's happened in the fourth and fifth set? Well, they slowed down and made
more spins."
Shen Yanfei fed back the praise for her partner, saying that "Gao is all good
and she holds a strong mind on the court."
It was the first match directed by head coach Shi Zhihao, who took the helm
of the Chinese women's team just several day ago.
"They are newly combined and not familiar with Gao and Shen's playing style,"
said Shi.
Gao Jun and Shen Yanfei will next play Sun Bei Bei and Wang Yue Gu after the
Singapore pair made short work of South Korea's Kim Hye Hyun and Kim Jung Hyun
in five sets.
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