Masters 2001 - 28.12 Evning

No. 14 - LS2

  Camilla Martin, DEN
  - Pi Hong Yan, CHN
      7-3, 3-7, 7-4, 8-7

The players know each other very well - they play together several times each week, as Pi Hong Yan is playing for the danish top-club Greve. Camilla Martin has won all their official matches - but not all the training sessions!

The first game was over quickly. Short volleys and each player scoring 3 points in a row - with Camilla breaking the pattern at 6-3. In the second Pi succeeding in keeping the serve long enough, and Camilla started making errors. Pi got 6-2, before Camilla got her last point, but too late for winning that game. The 3. game was very even, with long volleys and slow scoring. Camilla got ahead 4-0, but Pi got 4-4, before Camilla got the final 3 points. The 4. game was the tough on both players. Camilla got everybody vorried, because the pressed her hand at her back at every break in the play. Still long volleys, but scoring was faster. Camilla took at 6-3 lead, but Pi got even 6-6 and a play to 8. The last part of the game showed som impressive playes from both players, with Camilla winning the 2 last important points and the match

After the match Camilla downplayed her backproblems. She said, that she gets sore muscles everytime her movement pattern is not optimal. She later also jokingly attributed it to her "old age".

No. 15 - MS1

  Wong Choong Hann, MAS
  - Kenneth Jonassen, DEN
      7-0, 3-7, 7-8, 7-2, 7-2

World ranking no. 18 Kenneth Jonassen took on world ranking no. 3 - and lost. But what a fight, the dane put up.

The first game whent by very quickly. Wong Choong Hann played world class and Kenneth Jonassen fought back - but failed scoring. Until 5-0 Hann only scored once in every serve he got. But from then on he easily won the game. Hann continued his scoring straek in the 2., to 2-0, before Kenneth got the first point of the match. But the rest of the game was Kenneths. His powerfull jumping return smash outplayed Hann on several occasions. Hann got into trouble with the net too, and Kenneth won the game. The dane continued to dominate in the 3. game, opening a 6-1 lead - even though Hann got enough chances of scoring. He closed the gap very quickly though to 6-6 on one serve. Very long volleys and fast, straight returns was typical of the decider, which Kenneth won.

The to last games Hann won, and they developed more or less alike. They started with short volleys and change of serve after each play. Until 2-2 (2-3 in 5.) slow scoring - but then Hann got in control of the play, and scoring, with Kenneth trying to break back. He succeded somewhat in the 5. game, showing among other an impressive - but in vain - body slide under the net!

No. 16 - LS1

  Zhang Ning, CHN
  - Mette Sørensen, DEN
      7-3, 7-3, 7-2

World ranking no. 2, Zhang Ning, did not have much trouble with the dane, that always was strugling from behind. She did put up af fight in the 2. game, keeping Zhang Ning scoring only once after 2 - 3 change of serves.

No. 17 - MD2

  Jesper Larsen/Jim Laugesen, DEN
  - Zhang Jun/Zhang Wei, CHN
      6-9, 9-2, 9-6, 9-6

Another promising win from the newly paired danes. The chinese had shown some weaknesses in their afternoon match against Chow Choon Eng/Chan Choong Ming, MAS.

The chinese started strong in the first game, and got 6-2 on their first serve - and gamepoint (8-3) on the next. They won on the third - but the danes did get their scoring going. The danes continued in the 2. game, and now they used som of the plays, that had gotten Eng/Ming their win this afternoon - pressing the chines to their backline and smashing fast and low. As in the first game the winner only neede 3 serve rounds. After loosing the 2. after the 1. gamepoint and the chines getting a point to 8-2, the danes won a very long and very well played duel, with quite impressive returns from both sides.

In the 3. game the chines tried to counter the danes attack and succeed in getting a few more points and more chances to serve. But they where behind 8-3 when they got into the game - it was to late.

The 4. game was more even than the other - the volleys where longer and the scoring slower. The score was even at 4-4 and 6-6. That was when the danes got their first match point - but only after Jim Laugesen called for a therapist, because he suffered a leg injury of some kind. No one was available, so he carefully continued playing anyway. It did not slow down the danes, and they won on their 2. matchpoint.

No. 18 - MS2

  Peter Gade, DEN
  - Pullela Gopichand, IND
      7-2, 3-7, 7-1, 7-0

It was a little known fact, that due to the special rules of the tournament, Peter Gade only had to win one game to continue to the final, due to the result of each players match against Lou Yigang. The last time Peter and Pullela Gopichan ("Gopi") met was at All England, where the indian won and continued on to become the All England Champion. Peter had won their 3 previous encounters. Both players has had a disappointing second half of 2001 - but Peter won agains chinese champion Luo Yigang and Gopi lost.

Peter won the first game easily. Gopi made a lot of errors - just as he did in the game against Lou Yigang, and Peter controlled the play.

But in the 2. game Gopi showed what he can do, when he stop making errors. He got a little help from Peter though. Peter misjugded the sidelines several times during this game.

In 3. and 4. Peter made few errors, and Gopi seemed to loose hart. He still fought, but managed only to get a serve - hardly to score. When Peter finally could raise the arms as the match winner, he was very tired - but extremely happy.

[Gopi did have on disadvantage - at least during this match. All other players at this Copenhagen Masters have their coach present and coaching is allowed during breaks between the games [The TV-viewers has the benefit of at microphone on the danish coaches.] Gopi was all by himself. He might have fared better, if he had someone to give an outside view of the plays and his opponent. Playing against the an national icon in a closed arena like this without some loyal support is extremely tough.]

Write to the author
Leif E. Andersen. 
Executive Editor, DilleSport

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BLA*nets DilleSport