China’s Wang Liqin won the Men’s Singles title at the Qatar Open in Doha on Sunday 21st February 2010 and in so doing returned to winning ways on the ITTF Pro Tour.

It was his first ITTF Pro Tour Men’s Singles crown since clinching gold in September 2006 at the Volkswagen Open Japan; furthermore, it was the third time he had won in Qatar. Previously, he had won in 2005 and 2006.

At the final hurdle he beat compatriot, 22 year old Zhang Jike, having at the penultimate stage ousted Ma Long, the no.1 seed.

Meanwhile, the Women’s Singles title went to China’s Guo Yue beating Chinese national team colleague Liu Shiwen in a full distance seven games duel, the respective beaten semi-finalists being Guo Yan and Romania’s Daniela Dodean.

Alongside Korea’s Ryu Seung Min and Seo Hyun Deok; Daniela Dodean had caused the major upsets of the tournament by ousting Hong Kong’s Tie Yana, Singapore’s Feng Tianwei and Korea’s Kim Kyung Ah en route to the penultimate round.

Similarly, Ryu Seung Min and Seo Hyun Deok raised the eyebrows; Seo Hyun Deok beat China’s Xu Xin in the opening round before eventually losing to colleague Lee Jung Woo in round three; the round in which Ryu Seung Min defeated Wang Hao.

It was only the second time in international competition that Ryu Seung Min had beaten Wang Hao; the first was in the final of the Boys’ Singles event at the Asian Championships in 1999, the second and most famous, the 2004 Athens Olympic Games Men’s Singles final.

China was also dominant in the doubles with Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen beating Korea’s Kim Kyung Ah and Park Mi Young to strike gold, whilst in an all Men’s Doubles final, Ma Lin and Wang Hao beat colleagues Wang Liqin and Xu Xin.

Certainly, the group of Korean teenagers present Doha impressed; especially the boys with Jung Young Sik overcoming Kim Mi Seok in an all Korean Under 21 Men’s Singles final.

Success for Korea in the Under 21 Men’s Singles event and it was success for Japan in the counterpart female competition with Kasumi Ishikawa beating Singapore’s Yu Meng Yu in the final.

All six titles on offer went to Asia and at the ITTF Junior Circuit event in Hungary it was the same scenario with two 15 year olds clinching gold.

Thailand’s Suthasini Sawettabut won the Girls’ Singles crown beating the host nation’s Krisztina Ambrus in the final held on Sunday 21st February 2010, whilst in the Boys’ Singles event it was success for Korea.

Cho Jae Jun beat Benjamin Brossier of France to clinch the top prize.