USA take a tight one
27th May 2010by Malcolm Macfarlane
The listing was posted by English Table Tennis Association
The 1st round match in the 2nd Stage of the Women's team event between the USA and England at the Liebherr 2010 World Team Table Tennis Championships in Moscow was decided by the first individual match. The Americans played their trump card Gao Jun, twice World Team Gold medallist when playing for China and still ranked at no 39 in the world, although she mainly coaches these days.
First match saw Hannah Hicks, ranked at 492 in the world against Erica Wu ranked at 564, not a lot of difference and it showed: 1st game to Erica, the next two to Hannah but unfortunately the last two to Erica.
That result left England with two bankers which they duly collected and the Americans with two from Gao Jun, Kelly fought and fought but the American was just too good. it was taking 10-15 powerful drives to force a winner or a mistake and it was unsurprising that Kelly's challenge faded in the third game.
Hannah Hicks was totally outclassed as Gao Jun chose as many different ways as she could find to win a point, but the key was any mispositioned shot disappeared like a rocket past Hannah just as it had against Kelly.
3-2 to the Americans puts England into the 13-16 play-offs, their opponents Saturday morning will be France who were defeated by Russia in a titanic battle on the next table, the match being won 3-2 by Russia.
The women do not play again till Saturday, but early tomorrow morning the men's team face Latvia in their 2nd round, 2nd Stage match.
USA 3 ENGLAND 2
WU Erica beat HICKS Hannah 11-9, 10-12, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7
GAO Jun beat SIBLEY Kelly 11-6, 11-8, 11-3
HSING Ariel lost to PARKER Joanna 7-11, 4-11, 1-11
WU Erica lost to SIBLEY Kelly 6-11, 8-11, 3-11
GAO Jun beat HICKS Hannah 11-5, 11-6, 11-2
Photo: Hannah Hicks - fought so hard in the first match but just could not prevail - courtesy ITTF