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[729 fx]

China’s Ma Long and Guo Yan, respective winners of the Men’s and Women’s Singles titles at the Volkswagen Pro Tour Grand Finals in Macao in December 2008, both have the opportunity to defend those titles when the 2009 ITTF Pro Tour programme is concluded once again in the Chinese Special Administrative Region.

Should they defend the titles successfully then they will equal the records of Wang Liqin and Zhang Yining; the only players to successfully retain an ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals singles crown. Wang Liqin won in the French capital city of Paris in 1998 and then in the ensuing finals early in 2000 in the Japanese metropolis of Kobe; meanwhile, Zhang Yining succeeded in 2005 on home soil in Fuzhou and the following year in Hong Kong.

It is a very similar scenario in the doubles events. Singapore’s Gao Ning and Yang Zi, the winners in 2008, are on the list of invitees and thus have the opportunity to defend their title, a feat only achieved on one previous occasion. In 1998 and 2000, in addition to winning the Men’s Singles title at the ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals, Wang Liqin secured Men’s Doubles success with Yan Sen on both occasions. Equally, there is the situation of a previous winning pair, bent on a return to the top step of the podium; in 2004 Timo Boll and Christian Süss succeeded in Fuzhou. They have passports to Macao.

However, in the Women’s Doubles event in Macao, no previous pairs are in action; in December 2008, Li Jia Wei and Sun Bei Bei emerged as champions. The former has now retired from international play but the latter is en route to Macao. Sun Bei Bei will partner Yu Meng Yu.

No previous winners in action but the next best thing; the Korean defenders Kim Kyung Ah and Park Mi Young will be seeking to go one step further than in the past two years. In 2007 and 2008, they finished in runners up spot.

Qualified Players :
Men’s Singles: 1. Ma Long (CHN) 2. Timo Boll (GER) 3. Hao Shuai (CHN) 4. Ma Lin (CHN) 5. Wang Liqin (CHN) 6. Jun Mizutani (JPN) 7. Oh Sang Eun (KOR) 8. Joo Se Hyuk (KOR) 9. Patrick Baum (GER) 10. Dimitrij Ovtcharov (GER) 11. Zhang Jike (CHN) 12. Xu Xin (CHN) 13. Vladimir Samsonov (BLR) 14. Bastian Steger (GER) 15. Christian Süss (GER) 16. Representative from Macao

Women’s Singles: 1. Liu Shiwen (CHN) 2. Park Mi Young (HKG) 3. Ding Ning (CHN) 4. Guo Yan (CHN) 5. Feng Tianwei (SIN) 6. Sayaka Hirano (JPN) 7. Kim Kyung Ah (KOR) 8. Jiang Huajun (HKG) 9. Sun Bei Bei (SIN) 10. Viktoria Pavlovich (BLR) 11. Tie Yana (HKG) 12. Yu Meng Yu (SIN) 13. Li Xiaodan (CHN) 14. Ai Fukuhara (JPN) 15. Wu Jiaduo (JPN) 16. Representative from Macao

Men’s Doubles: 1. Seiya Kishikawa/Jun Mizutani (JPN) 2. Timo Boll/Christian Suss (GER) 3. Patrick Baum/Lars Hielscher (GER) 4. Gao Ning/Yang Zi (SIN) 5. Antonin Gavlas/Petr Korbel (CZE) 6. Emmanuel Lebesson/Adrien Mattenet (FRA) 7. Christophe Legout/Abdel-Kader Salifou (FRA) 8. Representative from Macao

Women’s Doubles: 1. Ding Ning/Liu Shiwen (CHN) 2. Kim Kyung Ah/Park Mi Young (KOR) 3. Jiang Huajun/Tie Yana (HKG) 4. Sayaka Hirano/Reiko Hiura (JPN) 5. Daniela Dodean/Elizabeta Samara (ROU) 6. Elke Schall/Wu Jiaduo (GER), Sun Bei Bei/Yu Meng Yu (SIN) 8. Representative from Macao

Under 21 Men’s Singles: 1. Ruwen Filus (GER) 2. Ma Liang (SIN) 3. Steffen Mengel (GER) 4. Abdel-Kader Salifou (FRA) 5. Ovidiu Ionescu (ROU) 6. Paul Drinkhall (ENG) 7. Jeong Sang Eun (KOR) 8. Jung Young Sik (KOR)

Under 21 Women’s Singles: 1. Elizabeta Samara (ROU) 2. Yu Meng Yu (SIN) 3. Daniela Dodean (ROU) 4. Yang Ha Eun (KOR) 5. Natalia Partyka (POL) 6. Mirela Durak (HRV) 7. Park Young Sook (KOR) 8. Misaki Morizono (JPN)

(Note : Excerpts from ITTF News)

[ejunkie]

I think this bit stands out, "Representative from Macao" playing the top players.
I don't think it's a good idea to be someone's warmup match and get 2 points per game.

[729 fx]

I will think being the host nation entitled them to one slot in the tournament.
Just like the FIFA World Cup, South Africa is in by virtue of being the host nation.

[729 fx]

Well, it is ON tomorow!

The ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals 2009 will be held from 7 to 10th January 2010 in Macau.

From ITTF News :
LIVE STREAMING WITH ENGLISH COMMENTARY ON THE ITTF TV CHANNEL FROM THE 8TH JANUARY STARTING AT 11OO GMT.

John Burgess from UK, who is well known in this field of competence will provide with the English commentary as he did successfully during the last World Championships in Yokohama.

"Over almost 30 years I have covered 28 different sports live for various TV production houses and sports associations, I can say, without hesitation, that the ITTF run events are the most professional individual sports tournaments I cover. The FIVB run you guys close, but there is something special about the ITTF style that tops the pile, perhaps it's the people involved!" John says.

Programme on the ITTF TV channel :
Jan. 07 starting at 2h30 GMT
U21 Groups matches boys and girls

Jan. 08 starting at 6h00 GMT
Men's and Women's Doubles 1/4 and 1/2 finals
U21 boys and girls 1/2 finals

Jan. 08 : LIVE STREAMING
starting at 11h00 GMT
Men's and Women's singles

Who are the favorites? My best bet is Ma Long (China) in the Men category, who was World Junior Champion in 2004, Asian Champion 2009, Asian Cup winner 2009, (ENG, CHN, KUW and DEN ) 2009 Pro Tour Men's Single Champion, World Championships 2009 bronze medalist and he was also the Pro Tour Grand Finals Champion in 2008.

For the Women, it will be a toss-up between Liu Shiwen (China), the current World No. 1 Women player and her compatriot, Guo Yan, whose current form propelled her to her current position.

[729 fx]

China’s Ma Long and Guo Yan, respective winners of the Men’s and Women’s Singles titles at the Volkswagen Pro Tour Grand Finals in Macao in December 2008, both have the opportunity to defend those titles when the 2009 ITTF Pro Tour programme is concluded once again in the Chinese Special Administrative Region. Should they defend the titles successfully then they will equal the records of Wang Liqin and Zhang Yining; the only players to successfully retain an ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals singles crown.

Wang Liqin won in the French capital city of Paris in 1998 and then in the ensuing finals early in 2000 in the Japanese metropolis of Kobe; meanwhile, Zhang Yining succeeded in 2005 on home soil in Fuzhou and the following year in Hong Kong.

Wang Liqin is the only player to have won the Men’s Singles crown at the ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals on three occasion (in addition to winning in 1998 and 2000, he succeeded in Beijing in 2004) he has not won a Men’s Singles crown on the ITTF Pro Tour since succeeding in Japan in 2006.

In the Men's single event, two national associations provide no less than 11 of the 16 competitors.
For China there is: Ma Long, Ma Lin, Wang Liqin, Hao Shuai, Xu Xin and Zhang Jike whilst for Germany Timo Boll, Dimitrij Ovtcharov, Christian Süss, Patrick Baum and Bastian Steger are on duty.

It is a very similar scenario in the doubles events.
Singapore’s Gao Ning and Yang Zi, the winners in 2008, are on the list of invitees and thus have the opportunity to defend their title, a feat only achieved on one previous occasion.

In 1998 and 2000, in addition to winning the Men’s Singles title at the ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals, Wang Liqin secured Men’s Doubles success with Yan Sen on both occasions.

Equally, there is the situation of a previous winning pair, bent on a return to the top step of the podium; in 2004 Timo Boll and Christian Süss succeeded in Fuzhou. They have passports to Macao.

However, in the Women’s Doubles event in Macao, no previous pairs are in action; in December 2008, Li Jia Wei and Sun Bei Bei emerged as champions. The former has now retired from international play but the latter is en route to Macao. Sun Bei Bei will partner Yu Meng Yu.

No previous winners in action but the next best thing; the Korean defenders Kim Kyung Ah and Park Mi Young will be seeking to go one step further than in the past two years. In 2007 and 2008, they finished in runners up spot.

Qualified Players
Men’s Singles: 1. Ma Long (CHN) 2. Timo Boll (GER) 3. Hao Shuai (CHN) 4. Ma Lin (CHN) 5. Wang Liqin (CHN) 6. Jun Mizutani (JPN) 7. Oh Sang Eun (KOR) 8. Joo Se Hyuk (KOR) 9. Patrick Baum (GER) 10. Dimitrij Ovtcharov (GER) 11. Zhang Jike (CHN) 12. Xu Xin (CHN) 13. Vladimir Samsonov (BLR) 14. Bastian Steger (GER) 15. Christian Süss (GER) 16. Representative from Macao

Women’s Singles: 1. Liu Shiwen (CHN) 2. Park Mi Young (HKG) 3. Ding Ning (CHN) 4. Guo Yan (CHN) 5. Feng Tianwei (SIN) 6. Sayaka Hirano (JPN) 7. Kim Kyung Ah (KOR) 8. Jiang Huajun (HKG) 9. Sun Bei Bei (SIN) 10. Viktoria Pavlovich (BLR) 11. Tie Yana (HKG) 12. Yu Meng Yu (SIN) 13. Li Xiaodan (CHN) 14. Ai Fukuhara (JPN) 15. Wu Jiaduo (GER) 16. Representative from Macao

Men’s Doubles: 1. Seiya Kishikawa/Jun Mizutani (JPN) 2. Timo Boll/Christian Suss (GER) 3. Patrick Baum/Lars Hielscher (GER) 4. Gao Ning/Yang Zi (SIN) 5. Antonin Gavlas/Petr Korbel (CZE) 6. Emmanuel Lebesson/Adrien Mattenet (FRA) 7. Christophe Legout/Abdel-Kader Salifou (FRA) 8. Representative from Macao

Women’s Doubles: 1. Ding Ning/Liu Shiwen (CHN) 2. Kim Kyung Ah/Park Mi Young (KOR) 3. Jiang Huajun/Tie Yana (HKG) 4. Sayaka Hirano/Reiko Hiura (JPN) 5. Daniela Dodean/Elizabeta Samara (ROU) 6. Elke Schall/Wu Jiaduo (GER), Sun Bei Bei/Yu Meng Yu (SIN) 8. Representative from Macao

Under 21 Men’s Singles: 1. Ruwen Filus (GER) 2. Ma Liang (SIN) 3. Steffen Mengel (GER) 4. Abdel-Kader Salifou (FRA) 5. Ovidiu Ionescu (ROU) 6. Paul Drinkhall (ENG) 7. Jeong Sang Eun (KOR) 8. Jung Young Sik (KOR)

Under 21 Women’s Singles: 1. Elizabeta Samara (ROU) 2. Yu Meng Yu (SIN) 3. Daniela Dodean (ROU) 4. Yang Ha Eun (KOR) 5. Natalia Partyka (POL) 6. Mirela Durak (HRV) 7. Park Young Sook (KOR) 8. Misaki Morizono (JPN)

(Note : Excerpts from ITTF News)

[729 fx]

Match list :

1 MA Long CHN vs 2 OVTCHAROV Dimitrij GER
19:00 - 8/1/2010 Table 1 0-0: …

3 SUSS Christian GER vs 4 OH Sang Eun KOR
19:00 - 8/1/2010 Table 4 0-0: …

5 JOO Se Hyuk KOR vs 6 CHEN Weixing AUT
19:45 - 8/1/2010 Table 2 0-0: …

7 ZHANG Jike CHN vs 8 MA Lin CHN
19:45 - 8/1/2010 Table 3 0-0: …

9 HAO Shuai CHN vs 10 CHUANG Chih-Yuan TPE
20:30 - 8/1/2010 Table 2 0-0: …

11 LEONG Kin Wa MAC vs 12 WANG Liqin CHN
20:30 - 8/1/2010 Table 4 0-0: …

13 BAUM Patrick GER vs 14 STEGER Bastian GER
21:15 - 8/1/2010 Table 3 0-0: …

15 XU Xin CHN vs 16 BOLL Timo GER
21:15 - 8/1/2010 Table 1 0-0: …

[729 fx]

Results from ITTF -

Men’s Singles Semi-Finals
MA Long (CHN) bt ZHANG Jike (CHN) 3-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-5, 11-3, 11-8
XU Xin (CHN) bt WANG liqin (CHN) 11-8, 6-11, 13-11, 7-11, 14-12, 11-9

Men’s Singles Final
MA Long (CHN) bt XU Xin (CHN) 11-9, 7-11, 5-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-2

Women’s Singles Semi-Finals
GUO Yan (CHN) bt Kim Kyung Ah (KOR) 11-6, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7
DING Ning (CHN) bt FENG Tianwei (SIN) 11-1, 6-11, 4-11, 11-2, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8

Women’s Singles Final
GUO Yan (CHN) bt DING Ning (CHN) 3-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4, 2-11, 13-11, 11-9

The Women's singles was superb, going the full distance with 27-year old Guo Yan overcoming the odds to beat Ding Ning.

As for the Men's Singles, Ma Long, despite being down 2 games to Xu Xin, showed the world the stuff he is made of by retaining the title. In doing so, it is the first time in 14 years in the history of the Pro Tour Finals that both Men & Women Singles title was won by the same person 2 years ago and emulated Wang Liqin(Men) and Zhang Yining(Women).

[varghese]

So, Ma Long grabbed the Championship?

[729 fx]

Yes, Ma Long won the Pro Tour Grand Final in Macau. He also emulate Wang Liqin, as the other only defending champion to retain the title. (Note : Ma Long won the Pro Tour Grand Final 2 years ago). Wang Liqin won in 1998 in the French capital city of Paris and in 2000 in the Japanese city of Kobe.