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Currently occupying top place on the ITTF Junior Girls’ Standings, Hong Kong’s 16 year old Lam Yee Lok is the leading name on the entry list for the Thailand Junior and Cadet Open.
The five day tournament starts in Bangkok on Saturday 4th May and concludes on Thursday 8th May 2013.
Classed as a Premium event, it is the tenth this year’s ITTF Junior Circuit calendar.
In Bangkok, Lam Yee Lok has a major chance to cement her status at the head of the list.
Earlier this year, Lam Yee won the Junior Girls’ Singles title on the ITTF Junior Circuit in in Italy, beating compatriot Soo Wai Yam in the semi-finals and Japan’s Rira Ishikawa in the final.
The champion in Italy, one week later in France, she reached the quarter-final stage of the Junior Girls’ Singles event, eventually being beaten by Germany’s Theresa Kraft.
Two fine performances in Europe, success in Thailand will most certainly enhance her claim for a place in the ITTF Junior Circuit Finals; she will have met the qualification criteria of being required to compete in two continents in the year’s programme.
The Finals will be staged in January 2014 at a venue and date to be decided; should she qualify, she will repeat the success of 2012.
She qualified for the ITTF Junior Circuit Finals staged in the Central American country of Guatemala in January 2013 and finished in a highly creditable fifth place.
A strong challenge for honours from Hong Kong in the Junior Girls’ Singles event in Thailand; there is always a strong challenge in the Cadet Girls’ Singles competition.
Vanness Tsz Ching Leung, 14 years old and a member of the ITTF World Hopes Team in 2011, is most certainly a name to note.
On Sunday 28th August 2011, she won the Girls’ Singles event for players born in 1999 at the Euro Mini Championships in the French town of Schiltigheim on Sunday 28th August 2011.
Not only did she win the title, she was never extended the full five games distance en route to gold.
Furthermore, the greatest challenge to Vanness Tsz Ching Leung may well come from another 14 year old from Hong Kong.
Mak Tze Wing who reached the latter stages of the Cadet Girls’ Singles event in both Italy and France will be on duty in Bangkok.
Meanwhile, in the Junior Girls’ Singles event the main challenge to Hong Kong could emanate from the host nation and from Chinese Taipei.
Tamolwan Khetkuan and Piyaporn Pannack carry the hopes of Thailand.
A member of the ITTF World Hopes Team in 2009, Tamolwan Khetkuan, 15 years old, finished in third place in the Girls’ Singles event at the ITTF Cadet Challenge in Guam in 2012; whilst 17 year old Piyaporn Pannack, won ITTF Junior Circuit Girls’ Singles titles in 2010 in both Chile and India.
Additionally she was a member of the Thailand Women’s squad at the LIEBHERR World Team Championships in Dortmund last year.
Both Tamolwan Khetkuan and Piyaporn Pannack are making the first appearances on the ITTF Junior Circuit in 2013; as for the principal Chinese Taipei challengers, Lin Chia-Hsuan and Chen Yen-Hsin are making their third appearance.
Also, like Yam Lee Yok, they have their eyes focused on a place in the ITTF Junior Circuit Finals in January 2014.
Both are 15 years old, both competed in Bahrain and in the Czech Republic.
Currently Lin Chia-Hsuan is at no.6 on the ITTF Junior Circuit Girls’ Standing; she won the Junior Girls’ Singles title in Bahrain beating Chen Yen-Hsin in the semi-finals and Sweden’s Linda Bergström in the final.
Soon after, they were in action in Europe at the Czech Republic Junior and Cadet Open where life was somewhat more testing. Lin Chia-Hsuan was beaten at the quarter-final stage by Alina Arlouskaya of Belarus, Chen Yen-Hsin suffered a second round reverse; she suffered defeat at the hands of Russia’s Anna Rossikhina.
Chen Yen-Hsin is presently at no.19 on the ITTF Junior Circuit Standings.
A total of 59 girls from nine national associations have entered the Thailand Junior and Cadet Open.
Girls from Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Peru, Singapore and Thailand have entered; of the total number 18 are Junior players, 28 Cadet and 13 are in the Hopes category.
Article By: ITTF - Ian Marshall
Photo By: Rémy Gros
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