Occupying the second seeded position, Jiang Tianyi won the Men’s Singles title at the GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour Hungary Open in Budapest on Sunday 1^st February.

At the final hurdle he withstood a spirited recovery from Korea’s Jeong Sangeun, the third seed, to clinch the title.

Jiang Tianyi won in seven games (11-4, 11-9, 11-3, 10-12, 5-11, 10-12, 11-3), having at the semi-final stage earlier in the day beaten Poland’s Daniel Gorak, the no.13 seed (11-7, 9-11, 11-6, 12-10, 3-11, 11-9). In the corresponding semi-final duel, Jeong Sangeun had caused an upset by beating Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chien-An, the top seed (11-7, 11-8, 11-5, 11-9).

Impressive Debut

It is only the second time, since making his debut a decade ago at the Liebherr German Open in Magdeburg in November 2005 that Jiang Tianyi has won an ITTF World Tour Men’s Singles title

In Magdeburg, he made an impressive start. He won the Under 21 Men’s Singles title beating Hungary’s Janos Jakab in the final; three years later at the Brazilian Open in Belo Horizonte he secured the Men’s Singles crown, accounting for Korea’s Kim Junghoon to win gold.

Success Elusive

Success for Hong Kong but in the Women’s Singles and Women’s Doubles events it was defeat at the final hurdle.

Against the odds, occupying the no.13 seeded position in the draw, Japan’s Misako Wakamiya beat Hong Kong’s Lee Ho Ching, the no.3 seed, in the final (12-10, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 10-12, 16-14), to clinch her first ITTF World Tour Women’s Singles title after having twice previously been a runner up.

She was the silver medallist in the Czech Republic in 2012 and in Croatia in 2014.

One round earlier she had overcome compatriot Yuka Ishigaki, the no.7 seed (11-7, 11-7, 11-3, 11-7); meanwhile, in the counterpart penultimate round contest Lee Ho Ching had ousted Japan’s, Sayaka Hirano, the no.2 seed (11-8, 11-13, 11-5, 10-12,11-6, 11-6).

Defeat for Hong Kong and earlier in the day it had been the same outcome in the Women’s Doubles final.

Austria’s Sofia Polcanova and Amelie Solja beat Jiang Huajun and Li Ching Wan, recording a four games success (5-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9) to collect their first ever ITTF World Tour Women’s Doubles titles.

Disappointment for Hong Kong but surely plenty of positives; Sofia Polcanova and Amelie Solja occupied the no.6 seeded position in the draw, Jiang Huajun and Li Ching Wan had been required to negotiate the preliminary round stages and were on debut as a partnership

Equally for Lee Ho Ching it was her first ever appearance in an ITTF World Tour Women’s Singles final.

A first for the Austrians in the Women’s Doubles event; it was also a first for Korea’s Jeong Sangeun and Lee Sangsu. The seventh seeds, they won their first ever ITTF World Tour Men’s Doubles title as a pairing; they upset the order of merit by overcoming the fourth seeded Russian partnership of Viachaslev Burov and Alexey Liventsov (8-11, 13-11, 11-6, 11-8) in the final.

Success on the final day for Jiang Tianyi meant Hong Kong departed Budapest as the most successful national association on duty. One day earlier Ho Kwan Kit had won the Men’s Singles title beating Croatia’s Filip Zeljko (11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 11-2) in the final.

Article by: ITTF - Ian Marshall

Photo by: Mohammad Amin Qasim