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.

Photo By: Jackie Lai

GAO Jun, Women's Singles champion

The Women’s Singles final at the TMS Chinese Taipei Open on Sunday 19th June 2005 saw two contrasting styles of play and styles that few other female players of the modern era adopt.

It was a contest between the top seed, LI Jia Wei of Singapore, a shakehands grip player and third seed, GAO Jun of the United States, a penhold grip player.

However, that is not the only difference. They are both right handers, both attacking players with GAO Jun using short pimples, one side of the racket only, outstanding over the table, close to the net, the blocker par excellence. Meanwhile, LI Jia Wei uses short pimpled rubber on the forehand and reversed rubber on the backhand, always serving with the backhand so she can use the reversed rubber to effect maximum spin on the ball.

Spin Not Speed
LI Jia Wei won the first game, playing to the GAO Jun backhand with spin not speed and on occasions changing direction by playing a backhand topspin stroke `down-the-line’ to her opponent’s forehand. In the second game the top seed established a 7-3 lead and then went ahead 8-3 when GAO Jun missed a forehand kill. However, GAO Jun reduced the arrears to 8-5, then fortune for LI Jia Wei when the ball just clipped GAO Jun’s end of the table, it was 9-5 and any second game recovery from the American player was annulled. LI Jia Wei surrendered one more point but secured victory 11-6 and was two games to the good.

However, GAO Jun is resolute, vastly experienced and in the third game led 7-4; changing the speed on the ball, excellent variation she maintained her lead and succeeded 11-5.

Safety First
The fourth game saw LI Jia Wei adopt a `safety first’ approach; a slow ball directed towards her opponent’s body and then await the opportunity to play strongly; she led 6-3 and continued with the tactic. However, when she played strongly GAO Jun showed her blocking skills and reduced the deficit to 6-5, eventually levelling matters at 8-all but the next two points went the way of LI Jia Wei.

She had two game points, GAO Jun saved the first with outstanding blocking, then levelled when she attacked the LI Jia Wei service with her own forehand. Once again LI Jia Wei went ahead, attempted a backhand topspin, the ball flew off the end of the table, level again.

Yet again, LI Jia Wei went ahead, yet again GAO Jun levelled and then won the next point to go ahead 13-12; this time LI Jia Wei responded 13-all and SHEN Mei Shing, the Singapore coach, called `Time Out’. The break worked initially in LI Jia Wei’s favour, she went ahead 14-13 but then lost the next two points, 15-14 to GAO Jun.

Nerves were jangling, LI Jia Wei went ahead 16-15, GAO Jun levelled 16-all then forged ahead and won the game 18-16 when a LI Jia Wei backhand played `down-the-line’ flew off the end of the table. It was parity.

Mental Battle
It was developing into a mental battle, the level of play rose and the crowd responded, enjoying the fast attacking skills of LI Jia Wei and the reaction blocked returns of GAO Jun. The latter went ahead 7-5 in the fifth, then 8-5; LI Jia Wei recovered to 8-all but the two next points went to GAO Jun, she was ahead 10-8. The Singapore player responded in style, playing with consistency and controlled topspin she levelled, then went ahead 11-10. GAO Jun kept her nerve, back to parity with a searing forehand drive, then exploiting angles from the backhand, won the next two points to move within one game of the title.

The crowd was engrossed, a full house; they were seeing to some extent a contest between an attacker and a defender who would sometimes attack quickly; the problem for LI Jia Wei was that the defender, GAO Jun, never retreated from the table and made the Singapore player work for every point.

Delight
At the start of the sixth game the points were short, neither player able to gain the ascendancy; however, GAO Jun gained a 5-4 lead then won the next three points, LI Jia Wei reduced the arrears to 8-7; GAO Jun moved ahead 10-8; LI Jia Wei saved the first match point but then an errant forehand flew off the end of the table.

GAO Jun squealed with delight, raised her left arm in salute, for the second consecutive week LI Jia Wei was the runner up, for the first time in her career GAO Jun was the Women’s Singles champion at an ITTF Pro Tour tournament.

Sunday 19th June 2005

TMS Chinese Taipei Open

Press Release: Bridesmaid Again


Bridesmaid Again
Singapore’s LI Jia Wei lost in the final of the Women’s Singles event at the Volkswagen Open Korea on Sunday 12th June 2005 to the host nation’s KIM Kyung Ah; at the TMS Chinese Taipei Open seven days later she suffered the same fate, she lost in the final to GAO Jun of the United States; for the second consecutive week she was the bridesmaid not the bride.

In the final against GAO Jun. LI Jia Wei won the first two games but resolute, determined and totally focused the former Chinese international, who now lives in the United States of America, recovered to secure victory in six games.

It was GAO Jun’s first ever Women’s Singles title on the ITTF Pro Tour in her long and distinguished career and in the Men’s Singles it was also a first ever ITTF Pro Tour title for LEE Jung Woo, the dynamic Korean overcame the defensive skills of Austria’s CHEN Weixing in five games to secure gold.

Success in the Women’s Singles for GAO Jun and also in the Women’s Doubles where she partnered Spain’s SHEN Yanfei to victory over Singapore’s SUN Bei Bei and WANG Yue Gu, whilst in the counterpart male event, Hong Kong’s KO Lai Chak and LI Ching, won the ninth ITTF Pro Tour Men’s Doubles title of their careers when they beat the Japanese pairing of Seiya KISHIKAWA and Ryusuke SAKAMOTO, the latter duo being in their first ever ITTF Pro Tour final.

Men’s Singles Final:

LEE Jung Woo (SIN) bt CHEN Weixing (AUT) 11-4, 11-13, 11-9, 11-7, 11-3

Women’s Singles Final:

GAO Jun (USA) bt LI Jia Wei (SIN) 8-11, 6-11, 11-5, 18-16, 13-11, 11-9

Men’s Doubles Final:

KO Lai Chak/LI Ching (HKG) bt Seiya KISHIKAWA/Ryusuke SAKAMOTO (JPN)
11-7, 11-9, 11-6, 11-2

Women’s Doubles Final:

GAO Jun/SHEN Yanfei (USA/ESP) bt SUN Bei Bei/WANG Yue Gu (SIN)
11-7, 12-10, 11-6, 4-11, 11-6


-30-

The Chinese Taipei Open is staged in the Taipei Municipal Gymnasium
16th - 19th June 2005