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Zhuang Headlines Qualifiers
Posted by Mike Mazzeo on 13 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Sports, Table Tennis
David Zhuang Photo By: Evan Rosen/The Triangle
David Zhuang (9-2), Han Xiao (9-2), Eric Owens (8-3) and Yinghua Cheng (8-3) have each booked their ticket to Vancouver for the North American Qualifying Tournament.
The four competitors bested eight others for the opportunity to become just one of three North American male players that will represent the United States (or Canada) at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Here are the final standings:
1. David Zhuang (9-2)
2. Han Xiao (9-2)
3. Eric Owens (8-3)
4. Yinghua Cheng (8-3) (tiebreak)
5. Mark Hazinski (8-3)
6. Yu Shao (7-4)
7. Sean Lonergan (4-7)
8. Adam Hugh (3-8)
9. Khoa Nguyen (5-6)*
10. John Leach (1-10)
11. Tahl Leibovitz (1-10)
12. Razvan Cretu (3-8)**
*Withdrew, forfeited two matches
**Withdrew, forfeited three matches
Huang Finishes the Trials Undefeated
Posted by admin on 13 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Drexel, Sports, Table Tennis
Yao Huang Photo By: Evan Rosen/The Triangle
Yao Huang leads the USA Women’s Table Tennis team to Vancouver after finishing the trials 8-0.
Yao Huang got all that she could handle from Jacqueline Lee (6-2), who held a 3-2 advantage before Huang took the last two games (11-5)(10-12)(7-11)(11-8)(8-11)(11-9)(11-5). Lee, who is also headed to Vancouver, quietly made her way to the top of the standings and finished in third place.
Nan Li (7-1) finished in 2nd place after sweeping Jasna Reed out of contention (12-10)(11-7)(11-8)(11-9). Reed was visibly frustrated throughout the match, slamming her racket down in disgust during the third game. Reed started the trials 4-0, but lost her last four matches to finish 4-4.
The fourth member of the women’s team will be Whitney Ping, who finished the trials with a 5-3 record. Her road to Vancouver wasn’t easy, as she struggled for most of her final match against winless Barbara Wei. Ping was down 3-1 before rallying to a seven game victory (8-11)(11-5)(5-11)(8-11)(11-9)(11-6)(11-8).
Ariel Hsing (2-6) won her second match of the tournament with a victory over Olena Sowers (4-11)(11-7)(3-11)(11-9)(11-9)(11-5), who finished 1-7.
The USA team will travel to Vancouver to face Team Canada in the next step for these players to the Beijing Olympics. The top players from Vancouver will comprise the North American team, which will compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Here are the final women’s standings:
1. Yao Huang (8-0)
2. Nan Li (7-1)
3. Jacqueline Lee (6-2)
4. Whitney Ping (5-3)
5. Jasna Reed (4-4)
6. Judy Hugh (4-4)
7. Ariel Hsing (2-6)
8. Olean Sowers (1-7)
9. Barbara Wei (0-8)
Three men now tied for the lead
Posted by admin on 13 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Drexel, Sports, Table Tennis
Han Xiao Photo By: Evan Rosen/The Triangle
Momentum shifts reigned in the match between Adam Hugh and Yu Shao. Shao made Hugh dive for volleys left and right in the crucial set three to take a 2-1 set lead. However, Hugh came storming back and dominated set four, 11-1, to even the match. Just when you think Hugh was going to take over the match, Shao rebounded in set five 11-2. With his back against the wall, Hugh (3-7) stormed back to win set six 11-5 and he had a 10-7 lead in set seven. Shao (7-3), still fighting to clinch an Olympic spot, buckled down and won five straight points to win the set 12-10 and the match four sets to three.
Yinghua Cheng (8-2) pulled himself into a tie for first place by winning a key match against David Zhuang (8-2). Cheng only needed five sets to dispose of the former leader (11-9) (11-8) (7-11) (11-9) (11-5).
Han Xiao (8-2) is also in a tie for first after beating John Leach (1-9) in six sets (11-4) (13-11) (11-4) (10-12) (11-6) (11-6).
Tahl Leibovitz (0-10) just cannot get anything to go his way this weekend. Eric Owens (8-3) was able to dispatch Leibovitz in straight sets (11-3) (11-7) (11-6) (11-7).
Sean Lonergan (3-7) and Mark Hazinski (7-3) earned cheap victories as both of their opponents forfeited.
Ping, Reed Tied for Last Qualifying Spot with One Match Remaining
Posted by Brett Fischer on 13 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Drexel, Sports, Table Tennis
Jasna Reed Photo By: Evan Rosen/The Triangle
With just one match remaining, there is only one spot still available for the chance to advance to International play - and it is up for grabs between Jasna Reed and Whitney Ping.
Yao Huang (7-0), Nan Li (6-1) and Jacqueline Lee (6-1) have clinched their right to move past the US Olympic Team Trials - Table Tennis Round-Robin Tournament.
Now Huang just hopes to finish her amazing streak in undefeated fashion.
Huang, who lost a total of just two sets through six matches, had her most difficult match of the tournament against Ping, who needed to win in order to take the fourth an final spot to advance to the North American Trials in Vancouver, Canada.
Ping (4-3) put up a great fight, but could not match Huang’s fearless play, losing in six sets (8-11) (11-4) (11-3) (11-13) (12-10) (11-8).
Reed (4-3), who started out 4-0, took a major hit to her chances in advancing after losing to Lee in just five games (11-8) (11-6) (9-11) (11-5) (11-5).
The match that received the most attention was the match between Judy Hugh and Nan Li. Hugh (3-5) almost pulled off the upset, as she built a 2-1 lead, but could not put Li (6-1) away as she lost in seven sets (9-11) (11-5) (11-6) (9-11) (6-11) (11-7) (11-4).
Searching for their first win of the tournament, Barbara Wei and Olena Sowers finished their match in just four games. Sowers (1-6) dispatched of Wei (0-7) in easy fashion (11-1) (11-9) (11-8) (11-9).
Hugh finished with an overall record of 3-5. Every other participant has one match remaining, which will take place at 2:00 pm.
Zhuang Likely Packing Bags for Vancouver
Posted by Mike Mazzeo on 13 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Drexel, Sports, Table Tennis
David Zhuang Photo By: Evan Rosen/The Triangle
With just two matches to go David Zhuang is in the driver’s seat in the standings.
Zhuang (8-1) remained in first place after defeating Tahl Leibovitz (0-9) in straight games (11-6) (11-8) (11-9) (11-4).
Zhang is the only player with just one loss.
Han Xiao (7-2) and Yinghua Cheng (7-2) and are right on Zhuang’s heels.
Xiao bested Khoa Nguyen (5-4) in six games (6-11) (11-5) (12-10) (9-11) (11-3) (11-8), while Cheng won via forfeit over Philadelphia favorite Razvan Cretu.
Cretu, who had a great run in the qualifying single elimination tournament to make the round-robin field of 12, unfortunately had to bow out due to apparent leg problems.
Eric Owens (6-3) beat Yu Shao (6-3) in straight games (11-7) (11-5) (11-7) (11-5) to stay just two games behind.
Mark Hazinski also is 6-3.
Hazinski won in six games against Sean Lonergan (10-12) (11-6) (12-10) (10-12) (11-8) (11-5) in a match that provided perhaps the most exciting point of the tournament.
Trailing 10-5 in the sixth game Lonergan used several defensive lobs to counteract numerous Hazinski slams, and when Hazinski’s final slam went out the crowd erupted with applause.
Concluding the 10:00 A.M. matches was a battle between young guns Adam Hugh and John Leach.
Hugh (3-6) defeated Leach (1-8) in seven games (9-11) (11-6) (7-11) (11-5) (11-5) (9-11) (11-5).
“It wasn’t my best performance,†Hugh said.
Reed Free-Falling in Women’s Standings
Posted by admin on 13 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Drexel, Sports, Table Tennis
Jasna Reed Photo By: Evan Rosen/The Triangle
Jasna Reed and Whitney Ping delighted the sparse morning crowd with some excellent rallies, but Ping (4-2) made the shots when it counted in games five and six. Reed (4-2) let out a scream after an easy forehand went long in the sixth set to all but seal the victory for Ping who took the match (11-7) (8-11) (13-11) (7-11) (11-8) (11-7). With losses in her last two matches, Reed has dropped from a tie for first to a tie for fourth in the women’s standings.
Olena Sowers (0-6) pushed Jacqueline Lee (5-1) to seven games before falling. The two competitors traded sets before Lee won (11-4) (7-11) (11-5) (8-11) (11-8) (9-11) (11-9).
The other two matches ended quickly as Nan Li easily handled Barbara Wei (11-7) (11-8) (11-7) (8-11) (11-4), and Judy Hugh dominated Ariel Hsing (11-7) (11-4) (11-7) (11-6).
One Day Remains in Women’s Olympic Trials
Posted by Brett Fischer on 12 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Drexel, Sports, Table Tennis
Nan Li Photo By: Evan Rosen/The Triangle
As day two of the Olympic Trials comes to a close, there are four women who are just three matches away from advancing to the North American Trials in Vancouver, Canada from April 4 - April 6.
Crystal Yao has dismantled her opponents, going 6-0 and winning 24 of her 26 games. She looks to go undefeated when she faces Jacqueline Lee (4-1) and Whitney Ping (3-2) to conclude her round robin-schedule.
Three women are tied for second, meaning Ping needs to finish off strong in order to make the final cut:
1. Yao Huang (6-0)
2. Jasna Reed (4-1)
3. Nan Li (4-1)
4. Jacqueline Lee (4-1)
5. Whitney Ping (3-2)
6. Judy Hugh (2-4)
7. Ariel Hsing (1-5)
8. Olena Sowers (0-5)
9. Barbara Wei (0-5)
Olympic Dreams on Line as Table Tennis Trials Wrap-Up Tommorow
Posted by admin on 12 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Drexel, Sports, Table Tennis
Photo By: Molly McGoey/The Triangle
Tomorrow is the last day of Team USA table tennis trials here at Drexel. If you have been sleeping on this event for the last three days I recommend you make your way to the DAC to check it out.
I was definitely skeptical about this being an exciting event, but was proved wrong as soon as I stepped foot into the DAC. The gym was packed with six tables of some of the best table tennis you will ever see. There was so much action, with as many as six games going on at a time, that it was hard to keep up.
The two standouts of the tournament so far are David Zhuang (7-1) on the men’s side and Yao Huang (6-0) on the women’s side.
Although the playoffs are on, it would be worth your while to at least stop by during halftime and check out these potential olympians.
Here are the standings heading into the final day of competition.
Men
1. David Zhuang (7-1)
2. Yinghua Cheng (6-2)
2. Eric Owens (6-2)
2. Han Xiao (6-2)
5. Mark Hazinski (5-3)
5. Khoa Nguyen (5-3)
5. Yu Shao (5-3)
8. Razvan Cretu (3-5)
9. Adam Hugh (2-6)
9. Sean Lonergan (2-6)
12. Tahl Leibovitz (0-8)
Zhuang Continues to Dominate
Posted by admin on 12 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Drexel, Sports, Table Tennis
David Zhuang Photo By: Evan Rosen/The Triangle
David Zhuang (7-1) established himself as the number one seed heading into the last day of competition with a six game victory over Mark Hazinski (11-7)(8-11)(11-8)(7-11)(11-5)(11-9), who feel to 5-3.
After the match, Zhuang ran over and gave his coach a high five before slamming his racket down in celebration. He then pumped his fist and screamed to the crowd, which seemed to like his flare for the game.
Eric Owens was defeated by Yinghua Cheng (11-7)(11-9)(8-11)(6-11)(8-11)(5-11), in another match featuring two of the trials’ top players. Both men are tied for second place with 6-2 records.
Khoa Nguyen (5-3) regained his winning ways with a victory over local favorite Razvan Cretu (12-10)(11-4)(9-11)(13-11)(15-13). Cretu is in 8th place with a 3-5 record.
Yu Shao (5-3) swept John Leach, who is 1-7, with scores of (11-8)(11-9)(18-16)(11-8).
Han Xiao (6-2) is tied with Eric Owens for second place heading into the last day. He defeated Sean Lonergan (2-6) in a very tough match that went the distance (8-11)(11-8)(11-1)(11-9)(9-11)(8-11)(11-8).
Tahl Leibovitz remains winless after Adam Hugh, 2-6 overall, routed him (11-4)(11-4)(11-6)(11-9).
With one day remaining, David Zhuang, Eric Owens, Yinghua Cheng, and Han Xiao are in the best positions for the top four spots.
Huang Wins Battle of Undefeateds
Posted by Brett Fischer on 12 Jan 2008 | Tagged as: Drexel, Sports, Table Tennis
Yao Huang Photo By: Evan Rosen/The Triangle
For someone who had never beaten her opponent before, Yao Huang (6-0) mastered the top -ranked Jasna Reed (4-1) in incredible fashion, winning in just five games (13-11) (11-7) (8-11) (11-9) (11-8).
“I’ve never beaten [Jasna] before,” Huang said. “I’ve had the lead before, but I always lost and didn’t have any confidence.”
Reed had a chance to tie the match at two sets a piece, but blew a 9-7 lead and gave up four straight points. Reed couldn’t collect herself as she lost the fifth and final game.
Huang not only has an undefeated record, but she has won a stunning 24 of her 26 games, including just one loss yesterday.
“Yesterday, I didn’t play good,” the modest Huang said. “But today I know I did good.”
Despite that being the match of the tournament, much of the focus was put toward the match between Ariel Hsing and Whitney Ping. On several occasions, the crowd roared in applause when the 12-year-old Hsing won points. Unfortunately, Hsing couldn’t avoid getting swept (11-5) (11-9) (11-1) (15-13).
Olena Sowers (0-5) was unable to pick up a win in the sixth round, falling to Judy Hugh (2-4) in straight sets (12-10) (11-5) (11-9) (11-6).
In the other match, Jacqueline Lee (4-1) earned a much need victory to remain above the four-person cut for the North American Trials, as she defeated Barbara Wei (0-5) in straight sets (11-6) (12-10) (11-4) (11-6).
In three of the first games of the sixth-round matches, the sets went into overtime.
Sowers and Wei have yet to win.
Reed, Li and Lee are tied for second with 4-1 records.
