11 April 2013
　

Record Holder, Tie Yana Forced to Withdraw from GAC GROUP Asian Cup

　

Injury has forced Tie Yana to withdraw from the GAC GROUP Asian Cup, which starts in Hong Kong on Friday 12th April and concludes on Sunday 14th April 2013.

　

Realistically, unless there are unforeseen circumstances or a wild card is allotted, an incredible run of appearances in the Women’s World Cup is over; the GAC GROUP Asian Cup is a qualification tournament for the STARTS Women’s World Cup to be staged later in the year in Kobe from Saturday 21st to Monday 23rd September.

　

No player has been present at the Women’s World Cup more times than Tie Yana.

　

She made her debut in Singapore in 2002 and has been in attendance ever since; her appearance in Huangshi was her 12th consecutive presence in the competition.

　

Notably in 2008 in Kuala Lumpur she was the runner up; she beaten in the final by China’s Li Xiaoxia.

 　
　


She is replaced by 20 year Hong Kong compatriot, Lee Ho Ching, very much a player in form.

　

At the Korean Air Korea Open which concluded on Sunday 7th April, Lee Ho Ching enjoyed the best international tournament of her life.

　

Compact, well balanced and in control of her emotions; in the Women’s Singles event, she accounted for Singapore’s Zhou Yihan, Romania’s Elizabeta Samara, Korea’s Seok Hajung and Japan’s Ai Fukuhara before eventually being beaten by the tournament winner, the host nation’s Seok Hajung.

　

In the first stage of proceedings at the GAC GROUP Asian Cup, she meets Seok Hajung once again; the other two adversaries are Japan’s Kasumi Ishikawa and China’s Wu Yang, the stalwart defender who rarely loses to foreign opposition.

　

Players from beyond Chinese shores find her backspin style of play a nightmare.

　

At the recent Times Property World Team Classic in Guangzhou, she beat Kasumi Ishikawa in three straight games in the Women’s Team final.

　

Proceedings commence with four groups in the initial stage of both the Men’s and Women’s Singles events.

　

However, the fourth group is reserved for players from West Asia, Middle Asia, South Asia and South East Asia.

　

Players finishing in first and second places in each of the first three groups advance to the main draw; players finishing in the third places plus the winner of the fourth group play a qualification round.

　

The two winners progress to the quarter-finals to complete the complement of eight players.

　

In the first stage, there is separation by national association.

　

Stage One – Men

Group A: Xu Xin (China), Tang Peng (Hong Kong), Seo Hyundeok (Korea), Noshad Alamiyan (Iran)

Group B: Chuang Chih-Yuan (Chinese Taipei), Yan An (China), Kim Hyok Bong (DPR Korea), Yuto Muramatsu (Japan)

Group C: Jiang Tianyi (Hong Kong), Chen Chien-An (Chinese Taipei), Jung Youngsik (Korea), Yang Zi (Singapore)

Group D: Sharath Kamal Achanta (India), Tran Tuan Quyah (Vietnam), Nima Alamian (Iran), No player from West Asia

　

Stage One – Women

Group A: Liu Shiwen (China), Yang Haeun (Korea), Yu Mengyu (Singapore), Ri Myong Sun (DPR Korea)

Group B: Feng Tianwei (Singapore), Jiang Huajun (Hong Kong), Sayaka Hirano (Japan), Huang Yi-Hua (Chinese Taipei)

Group C: Kasumi Ishikawa (Japan), Wu Yang (China), Seok Hajung (Korea), Lee Ho Ching (Hong Kong)

Group D: Nanthana Komwong (Thailand), Aia Mohamed (Qatar), Shamini Kumaresan (India), No representative from Mid Asia

　

Article by: ITTF - Ian Marshall
　


TIE Ya Na (Hong Kong China)