By: Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor
Never beyond the first round of a Women’s Singles event on the ITTF Pro Tour and playing in her first ever tournament on the GAC GROUP 2012 ITTF World Tour, Germany’s Han Ying caused a major sensation in Doha on Thursday 9th February. In the opening round of the Women’s Singles event, Han Ying beat Singapore’s Feng Tianwei, the no.1 seed, in six games (4-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-5, 11-2, 11-9) to navigate her way into unchartered waters.
Defensive PlayerA defender who uses reversed rubber on the forehand and short pimples on the backhand, Han Ying was making only her third appearance in an international tournament of note. In 2011 she played in the English Open and German Open. On both occasions she negotiated the group qualification stage of proceedings but lost in the first round.
No CoachAgainst Feng Tianwei, there was no coach sitting courtside to who she could turn for advice or encouragement. Conversely assisting Feng Tianwei was Zhou Shusen, the man who had guided Singapore’s women to the sensational gold medal success in Moscow in 2010 at the Liebherr World Team Championships.
Hails from LiaoningHan Ying, 28 years old, hails from Liaoning in China, the same province as such players as Guo Yue and Li Xiaoxia. She has played in the German Bundesliga for almost ten years and currently represents MYV Tostedt. Furthermore, she is one of the leading players in the Women’s Bundesliga. Currently she stands in second place on the averages behind Li Fen of TTSV Saarlouis-Fraulautern; this season in singles matches she has a record of 14 wins and five defeats.
However, she is not a member of the German National Team, she does not have German nationality and basically has made her own arrangements to compete in Doha.
Mental Battle“It was really difficult mentally today”, said Han Ying who showed no signs whatsoever of feeling pressure; she remained calm and composed throughout, her defence totally reliable. “Feng Tianwei is no.5 in the world; it was hard for me to believe I could beat someone who is that high on the rankings”, explained Han Ying who gradually started to believe after winning the fourth game.
Aggressive Approach“It’s the first time I’ve played her”, continued Han Ying. “I tried to be aggressive.”
She was aggressive but not in the sense that she came out all guns blazing with attacking play; she focused her attentions on consistent heavy backspin play, she made Feng Tianwei work and work, eventually she forced errors from the Singaporean.
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