Dynamic, keeping the pen-hold grip style of play alive, Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Ting was the player to cause the biggest upset at the quarter-final stage of the Men’s Singles event at the GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour Spanish Open in Almeria on the evening of Saturday 28th March.

Occupying the no.11 seeded place in the draw, he beat Japan’s Koki Niwa, the no.2 seed, by the very narrowest of margins in the seventh game (11-6, 10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 7-11, 11-9) to reserve his place in the penultimate round.

It was the fourth time that Wong Chun Ting had reached the quarter-final stage of an ITTF World Tour tournament but only the second time he had emerged successful.

Furthermore, and it would seem that he has a distinct liking for the air in the Mediterranean holiday resort of Almeria.

The one other occasion when he advanced to the last four was one year ago at the GAC Group 2014 ITTF World Tour Spanish Open; on that occasion he was beaten by Japan’s Masataka Morizono, the eventual runner up.

Now, one year later the tables are very much turned. Wong Chun Ting progressed as a result of gaining success against Koki Niwa in his first ever international engagement; conversely, Masataka Morizono, the no.7 seed, suffered a reverse.

Masataka Morizono was beaten by Korea’s Kim Donghyun, the no.26 seed (11-9, 11-8, 3-11, 11-8, 15-13).

Earlier en route the quarter-final stage, Wong Chun Ting had beaten Japan’s Asuka Sakai (11-7, 11-8, 11-9, 11-6), Russia’s Alexey Smirnov (12-10, 10-12, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9, 11-13) and Korea’s Kim Minhyeok (11-7, 11-9, 11-6, 11-3).

Article by: Ian Marshall

Photo By: Courtesy of Jordi Mesa and Cristina Ruiz