2011 Austrian Open - ITTF Pro Tour -A Point to Prove and Point Proven but Results Point to China
She has qualified for the 2012 London Olympic Games, she is ranked no.1 in the world.
At the Austrian Open, which starts on Wednesday 21st September 2011 at the Werner Schlager Academy in Schwechat on the outskirts of Vienna, China’s Li Xiaoxia is surely under no pressure whatsoever. She has nothing to prove to anyone.
Is that the case? Perhaps the pressure in mounting and she has a point to prove if only to herself.
Over One Year It is now over one year since she won a Women’s Singles title on the ITTF Pro Tour.
In fact when she enters the arena on Friday 23rd September 2003 at 11.00am local time for the first round of the Women’s Singles event, it will be precisely 13 months and one day since she last stood on the top step of the podium in an ITTF Pro Tour Women’s Singles event.
Last Win Harmony China Open 2010 The last success was on Sunday 22nd August 2010 at the Harmony China Open in Suzhou.
Since that victory, she has appeared in seven tournaments on the ITTF Pro Tour; her best: the runner up on Slovenia and Germany earlier this year, her most disappointing a quarter-final exit at the Qatar Open in February, the most popular the semi-finals.
In 2011, the penultimate round was the exit stage in England, Dubai and most recently at the Harmony China Open whilst, just under one year ago, it was her fate in October at the Austrian Open.
Same Scenario A point to prove at the Austrian Open and arguably, her compatriot Liu Shiwen is to some extent experiencing the same scenario?
Furthermore, she has no guaranteed Olympic place and her chances of securing the one remaining place in the Chinese Women’s Team for London 2012 look increasingly slim.
