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Crowned champions earlier in the year in Spain and Australia, Hong Kong’s Tang Peng and Wong Chun Ting won the Men’s Doubles title at the GAC Group 2014 ITTF World Tour Airports of Regions Russian Open in Ekaterinburg on Sunday 9th November.
Not only did they strike gold in the city that borders Europe and Asia; their win means they lead the Race for Bangkok.
They now leapfrog the Chinese Taipei partnership of Chiang Hung-Chieh and Huang Sheng-Sheng and head the Men’s Doubles Standings; they are assured of an invitation to the prestigious US$ 1,000,000 Grand Finals in December.
Surprise Finalists
The top seeds, at the final hurdle, they accounted for surprise finalists, the host nation’s Fedor Kuzmin and Grigori Vlasov (7-11, 11-6, 11-5, 13-11). Not seeded the Russians had been required to compete in the preliminary rounds of the event and were very much treading in unchartered waters.
Although Fedor Kuzmin had won the Men’s Singles title at the Slovenian Open in 2005, neither had ever reached an ITTF World Tour Men’s Doubles final.
Third Final of Year
Conversely, Tang Peng and Wong Chung-Ting were competing in their third final of the year and completed their third win.
In Spain they had beaten Chiang Hung-Chieh and Huang Sheng-Sheng in the final; whilst in Australia their victims in the gold medal contest had been Singapore’s Yang Zi and Zhan Jian.
Different Styles
Three titles, the evidence is clear that the partnership works.
Tang Peng now 33 years old, a right handed shake-hands grip player who uses short pimpled rubber on the backhand, is unquestionably the team captain.
Conversely, Wong Chun Ting, also right handed but a pen-hold grip player in the modern mode, using reverse smooth rubber on both sides of the racket is ten years the junior of Tang Peng, he is the apprentice.
Success with Jiang Tianyi
A successful combination but both have proved themselves masters of the art of doubles; both have also won ITTF World Tour titles with colleague, Jiang Tianyi.
Wong Chun Ting partnered Jiang Tianyi, a left handed shake-hands grip player, to success in Germany in 2012; whilst in 2010 Tang Peng joined forces not only to win in Austria but also in Korea.
Chance to Repeat Success
Notably in Korea, the pair won the Men’s Doubles title at the KAL Cup ITTF World Tour Grand Finals.
Four years later for Tang Peng, now in harness with Wong Chun Ting, another chance beckons, in Bangkok the chance to repeat the success of Seoul.
Article by: ITTF - Ian Marshall
Photo By: Alex Lomaev - Butterfly
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