Silver medallist in the Women’s Singles event at the LIEBHERR World Championships some six weeks earlier in Paris; in Busan at the Asian Championships, it was gold for Liu Shiwen on the evening of Saturday 6^th July 2013.

The second seed, at the final hurdle she beat top seed and compatriot, Ding Ning at the final hurdle to capture the title for the first time in her career.

Liu Shiwen won in six games (9-11, 15-13, 9-11, 11-8, 11-1, 11-5).

Success for the second seed in the Women’s Singles against the top seed; earlier in the evening it was the same outcome in the Men’s Doubles event.

Yan An and Zhou Yu beat Ma Long and Xu Xin (11-6, 5-11, 13-11, 11-6, 11-13, 11-9) to clinch gold.

Earlier in the day in the Women’s Singles event, in the penultimate round, Ding Ning had overcome colleague Zhu Yuling, the no.4 seed (11-2, 11-8, 11-5, 11-8), whilst Liu Shiwen had accounted for Chen Meng, the no.5 seed (11-7, 11-2, 13-11, 11-5).

At the semi-final stage of the Men’s Doubles competition, Ma Long and Xu Xin accounted for Japan’s Kenta Matsudaira and Koki Niwa, the no.3 seeds (11-6, 11-6, 11-7, 11-6); Yan An and Zhou Yu defeated Singapore’s Gao Ning and Yang Zi, the no.4 seeds (13-15, 11-5, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-8).

Meanwhile as matters progressed towards the quarter-final stage of the Men’s Singles event there were two upsets of note with Hong Kong experiencing mixed fortunes.

Tang Peng, the no.12 seed, after beating Walid Mohammad of the United Arab Emirates (11-7, 11-9, 11-7, 11-2) in the third round, caused an upset by overcoming Singapore’s Gao Ning, the no.6 seed, one round later (11-5, 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9).

Success for Tang Peng but it was defeat for his Hong Kong colleague, Jiang Tianyi, the no.7 seed; he was beaten by China’s in-form Fan Zhendong in the fourth round (11-3, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5). One round earlier Fan Zhendong had ousted Singapore’s Yang Zi in a somewhat closer encounter, the 16 year old succeeded in six games (10-12, 11-6, 11-13, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8).

Otherwise matters proceeded as per seeding.

China’s Xu Xin, the no.1 seed, accounted for India’s Harmeet Desai (11-5, 11-9, 12-10, 11-1) and Japan’s Seiya Kishikawa (8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4, 11-4) to book his place in the quarter-finals; whilst compatriot, Yan An, the no.5 seed, defeated Macao’s Cheong Cheng Wa (11-4, 11-4, 11-8, 11-6) and Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan (5-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-9, 11-13, 11-5) to reserve his berth in the last eight.

Similarly, Ma Long, the no.2 seed, flew the Chinese flag proudly; he beat Malaysia’s Chin Ee Hooi in the third round (11-1, 11-4, 11-2, 11-4) and Japan’s Kazuhiro Chan one round later (11-5, 11-2, 11-3, 12-10).

Success for China, defeat for Japan but there was the reverse scenario. Jun Mizutani, the no.4 seed, after beating Chinese Taipei’s Sun Chia-Hung (11-7, 11-4, 11-3, 11-9) he ended the hopes of Zhou Yu in six games (5-11, 13-11, 7-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-7).

A quarter-final place for Japan and there were two more.

Kenta Matsudaira, the no.9 seed, after overcoming India’s Sanil Shetty in the third round (11-3, 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 9-11, 11-5), accounted for Hong Kong’s Leung Chu Yan (11-5, 11-5, 11-6, 5-11, 11-6); one round earlier Leung Chu Yan had received a walk-over against Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chih-Yuan, the no.3 seed, who was forced to withdraw through injury.

Success for Kenta Matsudaira; there was also success for colleague, Koki Niwa. The no.8 seed, he beat Singapore’s Pang Xue Jie in the third round (11-9, 11-7, 11-9, 11-7) before recording a fourth round success against Korea’s Cho Eonrae (8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-7, 16-18, 15-13).

At the quarter-final stage Xu Xin meets Tang Peng; Yan An meets Jun Mizutani. In the adjacent half of the draw Kenta Matsudaira faces Fan Zhendong, Koki Niwa opposes Ma Long.

Meanwhile, as matters progressed towards the quarter-finals of the Women’s Doubles event, there was one casualty.

Hong Kong’s Jiang Huajun and Lee Ho Ching, the no.4 seeds, suffered a second round defeat at the hands of Chinese Taipei’s Liu Hsing-Yan and Huang Hsin (9-11, 11-5, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9).

However, for the other highly rated pairings it was success.

China’s Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen beat Singapore’s Isabelle Siyun Li and Yee Herng Hwee (11-2, 11-7, 11-4) to book their quarter-final place; similarly compatriots, Chen Meng and Zhu Yuling, the no.2 seeds, took no prisoners. They overcame Vietnam’s Mai Hoang My Trang and Nguyen Thi Nga (11-5, 11-9, 11-6).

Success for the top two seeds, there was also success for the third seeds. Singapore’s Feng Tianwei and Yu Mengyu overcame Macao’s Kuok Cheng I and Wong Sio Leng (11-5, 11-6, 11-6).

Equally there was success for Japan. Kasumi Ishikawa and Misaki Morizono, the no.5 seeds, ended the hopes of India’s Shamini Kumaresan and Mouma Das (11-5, 10-12, 11-5, 11-9); whilst Ai Fukuhara and Marina Matsuzawa, the no.7 seeds, accounted for Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Hsien-Tu and Liu Yu-Hsin (1-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-2).

Not to be outdone, Korea’s Park Youngsook and Yang Haeun, the no.6 seeds, beat Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Viet Linh and Phan Hoang Tuong (11-5, 11-7, 11-9); whilst Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem and Li Ching Wan, the no.8 seeds, overcame Korea’s Cho Hala and Song Maeum (11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6).

At the quarter-final stage Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen meet Kasumi Ishikawa and Misaki Morizono; whilst Park Youngsook and Yang Haeun oppose Liu Hsing-Yin and Huang Hsin.

In the opposite half of the draw, Feng Tianwei and Yu Mengyu play Doo Hoi Kem and Li Ching Wan; Ai Fukuhara and Marina Matsuzawa meet Chen Meng and Zhu Yuling.

Article By: ITTF - Ian Marshall

Photo By: An Sung Ho