China’s 20 year old Xu Xin won the Men’s Singles title at the Salwa Cup Kuwait Open on Saturday 27th February 2010, saving match points in the sixth and seventh games before beating colleague Ma Lin in a gripping final.

One round earlier he had defeated Ma Long, the defending champion, also in seven games, but it was his quarter-final duel against Wang Liqin that was shrouded in controversy.

Wang Liqin beat Xu Xin in four straight games but was disqualified following the former’s racket failing the solvent test.

It is the second occasion that this situation has occurred on the ITTF Pro Tour; in 2008 at the Erke German Open, Romania’s Adrian Crisan beat Germany’s Timo Boll in their third round encounter. Following the match, Adrian Crisan was disqualified for a racket irregularity, in similar vein to Xu Xin, Timo Boll progressed to win the Men’s Singles event.

Ai Fukuhara Outstanding

A sensation in the Men’s Singles event and also in the Women’s Singles competition; with only Zhang Yining and Li Xiaoxia missing from the very elite of the Chinese team on duty; an all Chinese final was anticipated.

However, Japan’s Ai Fukuhara had other ideas; resolute, determined, she was totally focused.

She beat Guo Yue, the winner one week earlier in Qatar, in the third round, Wang Yue Gu in the quarter-finals and Guo Yan in the semi-finals before losing a nail-biting seven games final to Liu Shiwen, the no.1 seed, in seven games.

In effect Ai Fukuhara beat three Chinese players before losing to Liu Shiwen. Guo Yue and Guo Yan are both members of the Chinese National Team whilst Wang Yue Gu hails from Liaoning Province and left China some six years to seek international honours in Singapore.

China Dominant

The final day of play in the Fajhan Hilal Al Mutairi Hall was dominated by China, they won every title on offer but the champions elect in the singles events had to settle for settle for second place in the doubles competitions.

Ma Long and Zhang Jike won the Men’s Doubles event beating Wang Liqin and Xu Xin in the final; whilst in the counterpart Women’s Doubles competition, Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen suffered their first defeat of the year on the ITTF Pro Tour.

The winners in January at the ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals and one week earlier in Qatar, they were beaten by colleagues Guo Yan and Guo Yue in the final.

Winner in Qatar, Runners Up in Kuwait

Success for the Chinese but there were no back-to-back titles; those who won in Qatar the previous week had to settle for lesser honours and that was the same situation in the Under 21 events.

Korea’s Jung Young Sik and Japan’s Kasumi Ishikawa, who had won one week earlier in Doha, had to settle for silver medals.

At the final hurdle, Jung Young Sik was beaten by colleague Seo Hyun Deok, whilst Kasumi Ishikawa experienced a reversal of fortunes; in Doha she beat Singapore’s Yu Meng Yu in the final, in Kuwait she suffered defeat.

Notable in Kuwait was the lack of European opposition to the might of Asia; Poland’s Natalia Partyka was the only non Asian player to reach a semi-final; she was beaten by Kasumi Ishikawa at the penultimate stage of the Under 21 Women’s Singles competition.

Czech Success in Sweden

Success for Asia on the ITTF Pro Tour but on the ITTF Junior Circuit there was gold for Europe.

At the Swedish Junior Open in Örebro, part of the annual Safir International Tournament, the Czech Republic’s Pavel Sirucek emerged as the Boys’ Singles champion, beating Japan’s Asuka Machi in the semi-finals and Romain Lorentz of France in the final.

Japanese in Form

However, that was to be one of Europe’s few gold medals in Örebro; Japan underlined their credentials for the future.

Miyu Maeda won both the Girls’ and Cadet Girls’ Singles events beating Japanese National Team colleague Rika Suzuki in the final of the former and the host nation’s Maria Engelson in the final of the latter.

Asuka Machi and Tayo Nomura won the Boys’ Doubles whilst Rika Suzuki and Ayuka Tanioka were crowned Girls’ Doubles champions.

European Success

However, in the Cadet Boys’ Singles and in the ITTF Hopes tournament there was some respite for Europe.

Alexandre Robinot of France struck Cadet Boys’ Singles gold beating Korea’s Jang Woo Jun in the final, whilst in the ITTF Hopes Girls’ Singles final it was the top prize for Russia’s Maria Malanina.

She overcame Maria Migot of France in the final.

Success for Russia, stalwart supporters over the years of the Safir International, but the victory in the ITTF Hopes Girls’ Singles event was their only gold.

In the counterpart Boys’ Singles event it was once again Asia who prevailed. Hong Kong’s Hung Ka Tak emerged as the champion beating Denmark’s Anders Lind in the final.