USA's Gao Jun Wins at Chinese Taipei ITTF Pro Tour
Sweeps Women's Singles & Doubles
Taiwan, TPE ∙ June 16-19, 2005

Gao Jun  became the first USA player ever to win men's or women's singles at an ITTF Pro Tour event, and the third ever to win men's or women's doubles, sweeping both women's singles and doubles at the Chinese Taipei ITTF Pro Tour this weekend.

In the final of women's singles, Gao, world #16, came back from down 0-2 in games to defeat world #8 Li Jia Wei of Singapore, -8,-6,5,16,11,9. Gao had recently defeated Li in the 16ths of the 2005 Worlds on her way to reaching the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Gao defeated her left-handed doubles partner, Shen Yanfei of Spain, 6,6,-5,-6,2,7. The event was dominated by pips-out players. Gao is a pips-out penholder, and both Li Jia Wei and Shen Yanfei are shakehanders with pips on the forehand. Gao's road to the Championship was as follows:

Final: Gao d. Li Jia Wei (SIN), -8,-6,5,16,11,9
SF: Gao d. Shen Yanfei (ESP), 6,6,-5,-6,2,7
QF: Gao d. Ai Fujinuma (JPN), 4,-10,14,11,-11,3
8ths: Gao d. Haruna Fukuoka (JPN), 3,6,9,5
16ths: Gao d. Yuka Shiosaki (JPN), 6,10,-8,8,10

In women's doubles, Gao and Shen Yanfei teamed for the first time and defeated Sun Bei Bei/Wang Yue Gu of Singapore, 7,10,6,-4,6. Their road to the Championship:

Final: Gao/Shen d. Sun Bei Bei/Wang Yue Gu (SIN), 7,10,6,-4,6:
SF: Gao/Shen d. Haruna Fukuoka/Hirano Sayaka (JPN), 5,-67,-4,11,6
QF: Gao/Shen d. Ai Fujinuma/Hiura Reiko (JPN), 1,-10,-5,5,10,7
8ths: Gao/Shen d. Lau Sui Fei/Song Ah Sim (HKG), 8,-9,8,-9,7,9.

The only other USA players ever to win men's or women's doubles at an ITTF Pro Tour event were Wang Chen, who teamed with Liu Jia of Austria to win women's doubles at the 2004 USA ITTF Pro Tour, and Cheng Yinghua, who teamed with Jean-Michel Saive to win men's doubles at the 1998 USA ITTF Pro Tour. Gao, 8-time USA women's Champion, and Cheng are the current USA women's and men's singles champions, and are the current and five-time USA Mixed Doubles Champions.

Gao's previous best ITTF Pro Tour performance had been making the final of women's doubles at the 2004 Korean ITTF Pro Tour, teamed with Germany's Elke Wosik-Schall. In singles, she has made the semifinals twice, and the quarterfinals five times. In other events, while playing for China, she was World Women's Doubles Champion in 1991 and World Team Champion in 1993, women's doubles silver medalist at the 1992 Olympics. She was also the 1994 U.S. Open Women's Singles Champion, but it was not a ITTF Pro Tour event at the time.

For complete results, photos and ITTF coverage of the Chinese Taipei ITTF Pro Tour, see the ITTF Pro Tour page.

TABLE TENNIS: First Time Ever A U.S. Player wins Singles ITTF Pro Tour Event; Gao Jun Sweeps Competition At The Chinese Taipei Open

by Tommy Perkins - USA Table Tennis (719- 866-4583 ext. 6)

Colorado Springs, Colo. – Gao Jun (Gaithersburg, Md.) of the USA Women’s National Team sweeps the 2005 Chinese Taipei Open winning the Women’s Singles and Doubles events at the age of 36. This is the first time in history that a U.S. player won first in a Singles event and the third time a U.S. player claimed the doubles event at an ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) Pro Tour Event.

Gao Jun (16th - World Ranking) defeated Li Jia Wei (7th - World Ranking) of Singapore 4-2 after losing the first two games. Here are Gao’s results from the Women’s Singles competition:

Final: Gao d. Li Jia Wei (SIN), -8,-6,5,16,11,9 (4-2)
Semifinal: Gao d. Shen Yanfei (ESP), 6,6,-5,-6,2,7 (4-2)
Quarterfinals: Gao d. Ai Fujinuma (JPN), 4,-10,14,11,-11,3 (4-2)
8ths: Gao d. Haruna Fukuoka (JPN), 3,6,9,5 (4-0)
16ths: Gao d. Yuka Shiosaka (JPN), 6,10,-8,8,10 (4-1)

In Women’s Doubles, Gao Jun teamed with Shen Yanfei of Spain for the first time ever and defeated Sun Bei Bei/Wang Yue Gu of Singapore 4-1. Here are Gao Jun/Shen Yanfei (ESP) road to glory:

Final: Gao/Shen d. Sun Bei Bei/Wang Yue Gu (SIN), 7,10,6,-4,6 (4-1)
Semifinal: Gao/Shen d. Haruna Fukuoka/Hirano Sayaka (JPN), 5,-6,7,-4,11,6 (4-2)
Quarterfinals: Gao/Shen d. Ai Fujinuma/Hiura Reiko (JPN), 1,-10,-5,5,10,7 (4-2)
8ths: Gao/Shen d. Lau Sui Fei/Song Ah Sim (HKG), 8,-9,8,-9,7,9

Gao’s previous best ITTF Pro Tour performance had been making the final’s in Women’s Doubles at the 2004 Korean Open, where she teamed with Germany’s Elke Wosik. In Women’s Singles, Gao has made the semifinals twice, and the quarterfinals five times in her career Pro Tour appearances.

Gao who seems to be getting better with age once played for the dominant Chinese National Team. As a member of the Chinese Team, Gao was a World Women’s Doubles Champion in 1991 and World Team Champion in 1993, as well as a Women’s Doubles Silver Medalist at the 1992 Olympics.

Up Next: 2005 Liebherr U.S. Open (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. Dates: July 7-10, 2005. This is a Major ITTF Pro Tour Event with $100,000 + up for grabs. Contact USA Table Tennis for more information.

For complete results, photos and ITTF coverage of the Chinese Taipei Open go to www.ittf.com and visit the ITTF Pro Tour page. For biography information on Gao Jun please visit the USA Table Tennis web page at www.usatt.org or go directly to the biography page at http://www.usatt.org/events/national_teams.shtml.

Tommy Perkins, Programs & Marketing Coordinator
USA Table Tennis (719-866-4583 x 6)

Author:	Tommy Perkins
	Organization:	USA Table Tennis
	Phone:	719- 866-4583 ext. 6

2005 Chinese Taipei Open.doc

Seeds Fall In Women’s Singles

Saturday 18th June 2005

TMS Chinese Taipei Open

Press Release: Seeds Fall In Women’s Singles


Seeds Fall In Women’s Singles
Second seed TIE Yana and fourth seed LAU Sui Fei, both from Hong Kong, lost in the last sixteen of the Women’s Singles at the TMS Chinese Taipei Open on Saturday 18th June 2005.

TIE Yana lost in seven games to Singapore’s SUN Bei Bei whilst LAU Sui Fei fell by the same margin to Yuko WATANABE, a member of the Japanese Universities contingent on duty in Taipei and a player whose name does not appear on the current ITTF Women’s World Ranking list, a list that includes over six hundred players!

There were no such alarms for the fourth seed GAO Jun of the United States; she beat Japan’s Haruna FUKUOKA in straight games but for the top seed, Singapore’s LI Jia Wei, it was a nerve testing time; she survived but was extended the full seven games distance by Japan’s Sayaka HIRANO.

In the Men’s Singles quarter-finals top seed CHUAN Chih-Yuan of Chinese Taipei beat Japan’s Kaii YOSHIDA in straight games whilst second seed Korea’s OH Sang Eun defeated Singapore’s GAO Ning and third seed Austria’s CHEN Weixing overcame Hong Kong’s KO Lai Chak. However, for eighteen year old Seiya KISHIKAWA of Japan, it was the end of the road, he lost in six games to Korea’s LEE Jung Woo, the man who had beaten fourth seed, Chinese Taipei’s CHIANG Peng-Lung, one day earlier.

In the Men’s Doubles, CHIANG Peng-Lung and CHUAN Chih-Yuan thrilled their home supporters as they recovered from a three games to one deficit to beat Korea’s CHOI Hyun Jin and LEE Jung Woo; they now face top seeds Hong Kong’s KO Lai Chak and LI Ching who defeated Korea’s LEE Chul Seung and YOO Chang Jae. Meanwhile, in the lower half of the draw LEE Jung Sam and OH Sang Eun, also from Korea, meet Japan’s Seiya KISHIKAWA and Ryusuke SAKAMOTO. The former beat France’s Christophe LEGOUT and Rodolphe DESPRES whilst the Japanese duo overcame Chinese Taipei’s CHANG Yen-Shu and HUANG Sheng-Sheng.

Meanwhile, in the Women’s Doubles, the unseeded pairing of GAO Jun of the United States and SHEN Yanfei of Spain reached the penultimate stage with a second round victory over Japan’s Ai FUJINUMA and Reiko HIURA; they now meet another Japanese pairing in the semi-finals, Sayaka HIRANO and Haruna FUKUOKA, the pair who ended the host nation’s hopes when they beat HUANG I-Hwa and LU Yun-Feng in seven games.

In the top half of the Women’s Doubles draw, the champions one week earlier in Korea, Singapore’s TAN Paey Fern and ZHANG Xueling lost to the top seeds, Hong Kong’s TIE Yana and ZHANG Rui. They now face last week’s runners up SUN Bei Bei and WANG Yue Gu, also of Singapore, who earlier ended the progress of Korea’s LEE Eun Hee and NAM Hye Jin.