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No player, competing in the in women’s events at the GAC GROUP 2012 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals, to be staged in the Chinese city of Hangzhou from Thursday 6th to Sunday 9th December, has competed in the prestigious end of year annual tournament on more occasions than Hong Kong’s Tie Yana.
She has been ever present since making her debut in 2002 in Stockholm; in 2012, she is on duty in the Women’s Singles event being the sixth highest qualifier.
The fact she is playing only in the Women’s Singles event is in itself somewhat unusual for Tie Yana; only once previously has she not competed in the Women’s Doubles competition and only on three previous occasions has she not been present in both disciplines.
Debut in Stockholm
In 2002 on debut in Stockholm, she competed only in the Women’s Singles event; whilst more recently in 2010 in Seoul and one year ago in London, she was present only for the Women’s Doubles competition.
It is in the latter that she has enjoyed her greatest success in the annual Finals. Over the years she established a most successful partnership with Zhang Rui, soon to move into the role of Hong Kong’s National Women’s Team Head Coach.
Success with Zhang Rui
The duo won six Women’s Doubles titles on the ITTF Pro Tour between 2005 and 2007 but in the Grand Finals never hit the heights; however, with Jiang Huajun, much different to the pen-hold grip style of Zhang Rui, results in the Finals have been more inspiring.
Together, they have won three Tour Women’s Doubles titles, the most recent being in 2011 in Almeria at the Spanish Open, when overcoming the Japanese duo of Yuka Ishigaki and Yuri Yamanashi in the final. However, more pertinently, in consecutive years they reached the final of the Women’s Doubles event at the Grand Finals.
Silver Medal
Alas, on both occasions the end result for Tie Yana was the silver medal.
In 2009 in Macau the duo suffered at the final hurdle against China’s Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen, one year later in Seoul, in opposition to Korea’s Kim Kyungah and Park Miyoung.
The results to some extent sum up the career of Tie Yana.
Next Step Elusive
Always, she is a name to note before a tournament starts; her fluent backhand top spin stroke is a joy to behold. It is poetry in motion.
Yet climbing that next step, gaining a place on the podium in the Women’s Singles event at the Grand Finals, has time and again proved a step too high.
Only once in ten appearances in the Finals has she gained a place, in 2005 she reached the semi-final stage.
Desire Burns
Now, 33 years old, Tie Yana is one of the most experienced players on duty at the GAC GROUP 2012 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals and is it that desire combined with a sense of loyalty that keeps her amongst the leading names in the sport?
Alongside Jiang Huajun in the past two years, with the disappearance from the international scene of Lin Ling and Zhang Rui, Tie Yana has been the stalwart of the Hong Kong Women’s Team.
Now, following her outstanding performances on the GAC GROUP 2012 ITTF World Tour, Lee Ho Ching is very much the third player in the team.
World Championships Medals
Tie Yana, has been Hong Kong’s principal player for over a decade and she has medals to her credit from the World Championships.
She has three bronze Women’s Doubles medals. A semi-final exit was her lot with Zhang Rui in 2005 in Shanghai; then in 2009 in Yokohama and two years later in Rotterdam it was the same finish with Jiang Huajun.
Team Medals
Furthermore, she has two bronze and two silver medals at the World Team Championships; the runners up spot in 2004 in Doha and 2006 in Bremen, a semi-final defeat in 2008 in Guangzhou and earlier this year in Bremen.
A Nagging Feeling
It is a record of which most mortals would be justly proud and Tie Yana can be proud of her efforts but one feels there is a nagging feeling in her mind; one of unfulfilled yearning.
The major Women’s Singles medal proves elusive and one other medal also proves elusive, which I suspect will keep Tie Yana motivated for the next four years.
She has never won an Olympic Games medal.
Olympic Games Quarter-Finals
In 2004 in Athens and four years later in Beijing, she was a Women’s Singles quarter-finalist; earlier this year in London she suffered a somewhat surprise defeat at the hands of Romania’s Elizabeta Samara in the third round.
Similarly, in the Women’s Doubles event, it was a quarter-final exit with Song Ah Sim and, in Beijing and London, Tie Yana was a member of the fifth placed Hong Kong trio in the Women’s Team event.
Elusive
Moving that one elusive step higher, an Olympic medal, a major Women’s Singles title; both elude Tie Yana and both motivate Tie Yana.
In Hangzhou, another chance, admitted a difficult chance, is presented and in 2012, Tie Yana has demonstrated she can meet the challenge.
Beat Olympic Gold Medallist
At the LIEBHERR World Team Championships in Dortmund earlier this year, she was the one player, man or woman, to inflict a defeat on China; she beat Li Xiaoxia, the eventual Olympic gold medallist.
She proved she can compete with the best, the very best; in Hangzhou no Olympic medal is possible but an opportunity to clinch a first major Women’s Singles title beckons.
It beckons at the GAC GROUP 2012 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals.
Article by: Ian Marshall
Photo by: Magdy El-Doukrary
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