MALAYSIAN YOUTH INT’L – China denies Korean sweep

While Korea’s Ko/Lee were proving the only exception to an otherwise Chinese sweep at the China Masters, He Bingjiao was denying Korea a single title at the Malaysia Youth International in Kuala Lumpur.

Photos: Don Hearn (archives)

In fact, the pattern in KL was eerily similar to what the Korean senior team had done a week earlier in Chinese Taipei.  There was the all-Korean semi-final in mixed doubles, as well as 3 Korean paris among the 4 semi-finalists in girls’ doubles.  In fact, there was even the walkover in the women’s doubles final, which extended to the mixed doubles as two-time Asian Junior Champion Chae Yoo Jung was unable to compete on finals day, leaving her partner Kim Ji Won (pictured below) without a title for a second year in a row.

Chae’s mixed partner Choi Sol Kyu (pictured above), however, had another agenda.  Defending champion in boys’ singles, he denied his compatriot Jeon Hyuk Jin a rematch of his Asian Junior final with champion Soo Teck Zhi and instead took the reins himself.  Choi fought back from a one-game deficit to take the title in three.

While Asian Youth Games boys’ singles gold medallist Lin Guipu went down promptly in the first round.  China’s best young players made a much stronger showing in the girls’ singles. Nanjing gold medallist Qin Jinjing made the semi-finals but was unfortunate enough to lose for a second time in a month to Korea’s Kim Hyo Min but her younger compatriot He Bingjiao repeated her own success over Kim from the Asian Juniors.

He may have upset the mighty Jiang Yanjiao in the China National Games two weeks ago but Kim was no pushover for the talented youngster.  She had to erase two match points and continued a 4-point run to take the Malaysian title.

China had sent only singles players to Malaysia.  Many of their top junior doubles players are entered in the Indonesian Grand Prix Gold later this month.

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