Supporting Role to Starring Role for Hiroko Fujii at Harmony China Open
Time and again she is the fourth player in the team; she sits applauding her three colleagues – Ai Fukuhara, Sayaka Hirano, Kasumi Ishikawa – as they battle for honours in women’s team events.
At the Liebherr World Team Championships in Moscow in May 2010, it was the norm for 28 year old Hiroko Fujii.
She is the supporting act as her colleagues take the starring roles but in Suzhou, on Friday 26th August 2011, she was the star.
At the Harmony China Open, she caused the biggest upset in the second round of the Women’s Singles event.
Biggest Upset Currently listed at no.34 on the Women’s World Rankings, she beat Singapore’s Feng Tianwei, the no.5 seed; the player who on Monday 1st August was elevated to the no.2 position on the global list.
Good Form Furthermore, Feng Tianwei is in a rich vein of form on the ITTF Pro Tour.
In early June she was the runner up in the Women’s Singles event at the Volkswagen China Open in Shenzhen, before being crowned champion in both Korea and Japan.
More Surprises It was a magnificent performance from Hiroko Fujii and there were two other fine efforts of note, as matches in the lower half of the Women’s Singles second round contests unfolded.
Korea’s 27 year old Moon Hyun Jung and 18 year old Jeon Ji Hee were both in form; both qualifiers, both beat redoubtable opponents.
Worthy Opponents Jeon Ji Hee beat the much more experienced Wang Yuegu of Singapore, the no.8 seed (2-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4, 13-11); whilst Moon Hyung Jung overcame Hong Kong’s Jiang Huajun, the no.13 seed.
Moon Hyun Jung won in a most impressive manner; she succeeded in four straight games (11-8, 11-8, 11-9, 11-7).
Fourth Time Very much the find of the year; it is the fourth time since her debut at the Spanish Open in April that Jeon Ji Hee has progressed to the third round of a Women’s Singles event in what is now six appearances on the ITTF Pro Tour.
She reached that stage in Spain before sensationally winning in Morocco and then progressing to the quarter-finals in Chile.
Return to Winning Ways Meanwhile, for Moon Hyun Jung it is a maintenance of form shown in 2011.
Earlier in the year, she reached the quarter-finals of the Women’s Singles event at the English Open and at the Japan Open; whilst on home soil at the KRA Korean Open she was the runner up.
It is a return to winning ways for the Korean who will be forever remembered for ending the reign of China’s Wang Nan at the Volkswagen 48th World Championships in Shanghai in 2005.
Lean Times Over In that year Moon Hyun Jung reached the semi-finals of the Women’s Singles event on the ITTF Pro Tour in Korea and Chile but since then has endured a lean spell.
It would seem the lean times are over.
Two Years On Three upsets in the lower half of the Women’s Singles second round draw but there were no more.
China’s Ding Ning, the no.2 seed, overcame Park Mi Young, the no.17 seed and also from Korea in four straight games (15-13, 11-7, 11-9, 12-10).
In so doing she underlined the quite incredible progress made in the past two years and that now against any style of play she is comfortable.
Memories of Qatar In 2009, at the Qatar Open in Doha, Ding Ning was beaten in six games by the solid defence of Park Mi Young; the Korea rarely attacked, heavy backspin play won the day.
In 2011, it is a totally different scenario.
More Chinese Success Success for Ding Ning and also there was success for her compatriots Guo Yue and Fan Ying.
Seeded no.4, Guo Yue beat Germany’s Kristin Silbereisen, the no.31 seed (7-11, 11-8, 11-1, 11-8, 11-1) before Fan Ying, the no.15 seed, ended the hopes of Korean qualifier, Song Ma Eum (11-7, 11-6, 11-3, 11-2).
Qualifier Falls The end of the road for one qualifier and the end of the road for a second; in an all Japanese duel, Misaki Morizono was beaten by Sayaka Hirano, the no.10 seed (11-4, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9).
Experience counted as it did in the one remaining match in the lower half of the Women’s Singles second round draw.
Victory for Senior Player Hong Kong’s Tie Yana, now 32 years old and seeded no.9, beat Korea’s 25 year old Lee Eun Hee, the no.28 seed, in four straight games.
