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Monday, October 27, 2003
Gonzales wins crown
By CHRISTIAN B. RODRIGUEZ
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
PHILIPPINE team member Richard Gonzalez rose to the occasion as he escaped with an exciting 3-2 win over China’s Liu “Louis” Lu to grab the Singles division title of the Hua Ching 2003 Invitational Table Tennis Tournament at the Clotide Commercial bldg. in Mandaue City yesterday.
Feng Da “Thaddeus” Chian, on the other hand, posted another 3-2 decision of Hua Ching-A’s Lu to clinch the team title for of Hua Ching-B.
Gonzalez, who represents Lopues Table Tennis Association-Army (Lopta), posted an 11-8 first-set win, but Lu, China’s No.2 juniors player, bounced back in the second set with an 11-9 score. Lu carried the momentum to the third set, scoring on high spins to grab the set, 11-7.
However, Gonzalez, a noted veteran player for the RP team in international competitions, reached deep into his bag of tricks to outplay the Chinese national, 11-9, in the fourth, setting up a winner-take-all deciding fifth set.
The more experienced Gonzalez, who was once ranked 120th in the world, effectively used his high chops to deceive the younger Lu, which resulted to the match’s biggest win margin, an 11-6 fifth-set win that handed the crown to the Filipino player.
Earlier, Lu blanked Jack Tinsmith-Army’s and current RP team Angelo Marcelino in the semis, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9, while Gonzales took down another RP team member and Philippine Air Force player Joseph Cruz in four sets.
In the crucial match that decided the team champion, Lu took an early lead, winning the first set, 11-7, but Chian countered by winning the second, 11-7.
Liu’s firepower smashes and witty serves won for him the third set, 11-8, but Feng bounced back with a fast-paced smashing returns to give him a 11-6 fourth-set win.
The deciding set was the closest in the match with the score heading to a 10-all tie. But Chian won the next two points to wrap up the match, 12-10.
In the semifinals, Hua Ching-A of former RP player Julius Esposo, Cebu’s Harold Baring and Lu blanked Table Tennis Association of the Philippines-Cebu chapter (Tatap), 3-0. While Hua Ching-B’s China’s No.3 junior player Chian, Henberd Ortalla and Jet Yatco defeated Bacolod City’s Lopta, which is made up of Gonzalez, Jonald Baldomero and Mark Gimenez, 3-1.
The fight for third place between Tatap-Cebu Anvy team and Lopta-Army team was still being played at press time yesterday. |
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