Indore: With one more round of group qualification matches remaining to be played tomorrow in the 2015 ITTF World Junior Circuit Finals, some upsets at the Abhay Prashal here today indicated to a topsy-turvy results, contrary to popular expectations.
Archana Girish Kamath, despite losing her first-round match to Romania’s Adreea Dragoman 2-4 in a tough battle, returned for her second-round game against 11th seed Leticla Nakada from Brazil in the late evening match to keep her chances of qualifying for the second stage alive. The 13th seed Indian beat the Brazilian 4-3 in a pulsating second-round encounter. She, however, has a tough job at hand when she meets fourth seed French girl Pauline Chasselin in the third round match tomorrow.
But for both Mudit Dani and Siddhesh Pande, it was curtains as they lost their first and second round matches. However, Pande was a revelation in the second round against Spaniard Carlos Vedriel, who earlier accounted for second seed Slovenian Darko Jorgic. The Indian national junior champion put up a good fight against the 10th seed before going down 2-4.
After the afternoon upsets when Jorgic lost to Carlos Vedriel and Japanese Miyuu Kihara beat Tamolwan Khetkhuan of Thailand in Junior Boys and Junior Girls, it was the turn of top-seed Korean An Jaehyun to go down to American Zhang Kai, the seventh seed.
However, both Carlos and Miyuu, who posted their second successive wins, strengthened their chances of making the main draw cut in the Junior Boys and Girls sections. Others who more or less ensured their chances are Zhang Kai, Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan, Takuto Izumo, also of Japan, and Egyptian Abdel-Aziz Youssef from group 4. However, groups 2 and 3 are a bit dicey because of players posting at least one win against each other.
In the girls, category, Adina Diaconu from group 1, Lin Chia-Hsuan of Taipei along with Japanese Miyuu from group 2, Zhu Chengzhu of Hong Kong and Park Seri from group 3 and Andreea Dragoman from group 4 need just a win to enter the quarterfinals.
Having lost to the Slovenian in Hungary 2-3 earlier last year, Carlos had made himself sure not to fall to his backhand trap, the stronger point. Instead, he drove very often to his forehand and the second-seeded Slovenian was in all sorts of trouble, losing the first two games. He, however, tried to pull one back when he managed to take the third set. But then Carlos got into a nice rhythm and executed his powerful forehand which fetched quite a lot of winners.
Results:
Junior Boys:
Group 1: Zhang Kai (USA) bt Mudit Dani (IND) 4-0 (11-3, 11-5, 11-9, 11-4), An Jaehyun (KOR) bt Jonah Schlie (GER) 4-1 (11-3, 11-9, 10-12,11-4, 11-8), Jonah Schile (GER) bt Mudit Dani (IND) 4-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8), Zhang Kai (USA) bt An Jaehyu (KOR) 4-0 (11-9, 11-3, 11-8, 13-11).
Group 2: Carlos Vedriel (ESP) bt Darko Jorgic (SLO) 4-1 (11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4), Helshan Weerasinghe (ENG) 4-0 bt Siddhesh Pande 4-0 (11-4, 11-9, 11-5, 11-3), Carlos Vedriel (ESP) bt Siddhesh Pande 4-2 (9-11, 12-10, 8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-6), Darko Jorgic (SLO) bt Helshan Weerasinghe (ENG) 4-2 (3-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-9, 13-11, 11-5).
Group 3: Tomokazu Harimoti (JPN) bt Ali Alkhadrawi (KSA) 4-1 (11-9, 11-8, 16-18, 11-6, 12-10), Chun-Yu Tsai (TPE) bt Mohammad Abdulwahhab (QAT) 4-1 (11-8, 11-7, 11-9,4-11, 11-8), Tookazu Harimoto (JPN) bt Chun-Yu Tsai (TPE) 4-2 (11-4, 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7), Mohammad Abdlwahhab (QAT) bt Ali Alkhadrawi (KSA) 4-2 (3-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-6, 11-6).
Group 4: Takuto Izumo (JPN) bt Issac Zauli (BRA) 4-1 (11-6, 6-11, 11-1, 11-9, 11-3), Youseef Abdel-Aziz (EGY) bt Cristian Pletea (ROU) 4-2 (11-13, 12-10, 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9), Izumo Takuto (JPN) bt Cristian Pletea (ROU) 4-0 (11-9, 12-10, 11-7, 11-8), Abdel-Aziz Youssef (EGY) bt Isaac Zauli (BRA) 4-0 (11-7, 11-8, 11-6, 11-9).
Junior Girls:
Group 1: Adina Diaconu (ROU) bt Zhang Xuan (ESP) 4-2 (6-11, 11-9, 11-7, 6-11, 11-3, 11-6), Lin Po-Hsuan (TPE) bt Amira Yousry (EGY) 4-0 (11-2, 11-7, 11-7, 11-8), Zhang Xuan (ESP) bt Amira Yousry (EGY) 4-1 (11-7, 5-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-3), Adina Diaconu (ROU) bt Po-Hsuan Lin (TPE) 4-1 (16-14, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 11-5).
Group 2: Miyuu Kihara (JPN) bt Tamolwan Khetkhuan (THA) 4-3 (1-11, 2-11, 13-15, 11-8, 11-8, 11-7, 11-2), Lin Chia-Hsuan (TPE) bt Wu Jiamuwa (AUS) 4-2 (8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 5-11, 11-5, 11-2), Chia-Hsuan Lin (TPE) bt Tamolwan Khetkhuan (THA) 4-0 (12-10, 11-5, 11-9, 11-6), Miyuu Kihara (JPN) bt Wu Jiamuwa (AUS) 4-1 (11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-8).
Group 3: Park Seri (KOR) bt Zhu Chengzhu (HKG) 4-2 (4-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-4), Angela Guan (USA) bt Bruna Takahashi (BRA) 4-2 (11-8, 9-11, 10-12, 11-4, 11-4, 11-6), Park Seri (KOR) bt Anela Guan (USA) 4-3 (10-12, 11-4, 8-11, 7-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-8), Zhu Chengzhu (HKG) bt Bruna Takahashi (BRA) 4-2 ( 8-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-4, 8-11, 11-7).
Group 4: Andreea Dragoman (ROU) bt Archana Girish Kamath (IND) 4-2 (3-11, 11-1, 11-8, 11-3, 7-11, 11-5), Pauline Chasselin (FRA) bt Letcia Nakada (BRA) 4- 1 (6-11, 11-5, 14-12, 13-11, 11-8), Andreea Dragoman (ROU) bt Pauline Chasselin (FRA) 4-2 (12-10, 7-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 14-12), Archana Girish Kamath (IND) bt Leticla Nakada (BRA) 4-3 (11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 2-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-8).
