Mak Tze Wing was the player to shine, as matters commenced in the main draw of the Junior Girls’ Singles event at the Italian Junior and Cadet Open in Lignano on Wednesday 27^th February 2014.

The 14 year old excelled expectations, on what proved to be a most successful day for Hong Kong.

Alongside colleagues Minnie Soo Wai Yam and Lam Yee Lok, she booked her place in the quarter-finals, hitting fine form from the very start.

Opening Contest
In her opening contest in the group stage of proceedings, she beat Peru’s Francesca Vargas, the no.8 seed (8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9), before accounting for Italy’s Le Thi Long (11-9, 11-7, 11-5) and Marion Chomis of France (7-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8) to top the group.

Hardest Fought of All
A hard fought win over one French player to secure her passage to the main draw; it was an even harder fought win in opposition to the host nation’s Veronica Mosconi to clinch her place in the last eight.

She withstood a spirited recovery from the Italian to win a nail-biting seven games duel (11-9, 11-9, 11-7, 1-11, 9-11, 9-11, 14-12).

The 26^th highest World ranked player in the Junior Girls’ Singles entry list, it was a quite outstanding performance.

Different Route
Conversely for Minnie Soo Wai Yam and for Lam Yee Lok it was a last eight place as expected, they are the respective top two seed, but the route to the quarter-finals for Lam Yee Lok was not as expected.

She had to settle for second place in her group being beaten by Japan’s Kana Takeuchi (11-9, 11-6, 11-2), the eventual unbeaten group winner.

However, in the main draw it was a reversal of fortunes, Kana Takeuchi was beaten by Pauline Chasselin of France (11-4, 5-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-5, 13-11); whilst Lam Yee Lok succeeded against Ayane Morita, the no.4 seed and also from Japan (9-11, 13-11, 13-11, 11-4, 12-10).

Conventional Route
Conversely, Minnie Soo Wai Yam followed the conventional route; she finished in first place in her group before overcoming Italy’s Giorgia Piccolin (11-2, 11-3, 11-8, 11-2) to secure her place in the quarter-finals.

Japanese Success
A defeat for Japan in the guise of Ayane Morita; however there was success for the Land of the Rising Sun.

Rira Ishikawa, the no.3 seed, beat Austria’s Karolina Mischek, the no.16 seed (11-4, 7-11, 13-11, 11-4, 11-3); whilst Yui Kato, the no.12 seed, ousted Singapore’s Yee Herng Hwee, the no.14 seed (11-4, 7-11, 6-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7).

Two Places for France
Two Junior Girls’ Singles quarter-final places for Japan, it was the same for France.

In addition to Pauline Chasselin, Roza Soposki, the no.15 seed, reserved her place in the last eight by upsetting the pecking order. She overcame the Slovak Republic’s Eva Jurkova, the no.9 seed (7-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-5, 10-12, 8-11, 11-7) to keep her medal aspirations alive.

Slovenian in Form
The one other quarter-final place was booked by Slovenia’s Nina Zupancic; the no.11 seed, she ended the host nation’s aspirations by overcoming Cristiana Dumitrache (12-10, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8).

Italians Cause Upset
No place in the last eight of the Junior Girls’ Singles event for the host nation but that is not the situation in the Junior Girls’ Doubles competition, where Giorgia Piccolin and Francesca Trotti upset matters.

Occupying the no.9 seeded position in the draw, they accounted for Marion Chomis and Roza Soposki, the no.7 seeds (11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9).

Top Four Progress
However, that was the only upset as matters commenced in the Junior Girls’ Doubles event with the leading pairs all progressing to the quarter-finals.

Rira Ishikawa and Ayane Morita, the top seeds, duly progressed unhindered, as did Lam Yee Lok and Yee Herng Hwee, the second seeds.

Also, quarter-final places were booked by the Slovak Republic’s Eva Jurkova and Lucia Truksova, the no.3 seeds and by the combination of Pauline Chasselin and Charlotte Carey of Wales, the no.4 seeds.

Article by: ITTF - Ian Marshall

Photo by: Donald Chin