08/01/2010 Korea Junior & Cadet Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

It could be a first on the ITTF Junior Circuit; two players who finished in second place in their respective groups in the first stage of proceedings competed in the final.

In fact the scenario is even deeper, three of the four semi-finalists finished in runners up spot in the first phase group matches! At the Korean Junior and Cadet Open, which finished on Sunday 1st August 2010, that was the situation in the Junior Boys’ Singles event.

Most certainly in Pohang, it was a case of he who has the last laugh laughs longest.

 08/01/2010 Korea Junior & Cadet Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

Not seeded, 18 year old Jo Yu Jin was the surprise winner of the Junior Girls’ Singles title at the Korean Junior and Cadet Open, which concluded in Pohang on Sunday 1st July 2010, a day when the host nation dominated matters in the female events.

Three of the four female titles on offer went the way of the host nation; an impressive effort from Korea's rising generation.

The victor over Japan’s fourth seeded Rika Suzuki in the group stage of proceedings, Jo Yu Jin beat colleague Lee Sujin, the no.8 seed, in the final to capture the crown and thus win her first ever ITTF Junior Girls' Singles title.

 07/31/2010 Korea Junior & Cadet Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

Singapore’s Isabelle Syun Li, maintained her composure and used her defensive skills to good effect to be the only one of the top four seeded players to reach the quarter-final stage of the Junior Girls’ Singles event at the Korean Junior and Cadet Open in Pohang on Saturday 31st July 2010.

Thailand’s top seeded Suthasinee Sawettabut, Chinese Taipei’s third seeded Chen Szu-Yu both departed at the quarter-final stage whilst Japan’s Rika Suzuki, the no.4 seed, departed one round earlier. It was a difficult time for the pre-tournament favourites.

 07/31/2010 Korea Junior & Cadet Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

Seeds fell in the first round of the Junior Boys’ Singles event at the Korean Junior and Cadet Open in Pohang on Saturday 31st July 2010.

Only the host nation's second seeded Kim Dong Hyun of the top four seeds, survived. Furthermore, it was players from the host nation who caused the upsets.

Jung Jinwoo defeated Chinese Taipei’s top seeded, Hung Tzu-Hsiang and Lee Seung Hyeok ended the hopes of third seeded Lee Chia-Sheng, also from Chinese Taipei.

 07/31/2010 Korea Junior & Cadet Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

Matters went very much according to plan as the Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ Singles group stage matches concluded at the Korean Junior and Cadet Open in Pohang on Friday 30th July 2010.

In both events only one of the leading names did not finish in first place in their respective group.

The player to experience problems in the Junior Boys’ Singles event was the host nation’s Son Seung Jun, whilst in the counterpart Junior Girls’ Singles competition the player to suffer was Japan’s Rika Suzuki, the no.4 seed.

 07/30/2010 Korea Junior & Cadet Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

Korea’s 14 year old Jang Woo Jin excelled at the recentd M-Sport Asian Junior Championships in Bangkok, Thailand; he won the Cadet Boys’ Singles to secure the only singles title that eluded China.

It was a splendid performance from athletic teenager and underlined the fact that Korea has a very impressive group of young players, who in the next ten years, could well challenge for the major honours the sport has to offer.

A fine effort in Bangkok and on home soil in Pohang.

 07/30/2010 Korea Junior & Cadet Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

The leading names in both the Junior Girls’ Singles and Cadet Girls’ Singles event enjoyed trouble free openings to their campaigns in the first phase of proceedings at the Korean Junior and Cadet Open in Pohang on Friday 30th July 2010.

In the Junior Girls’ Singles competition, the favourites for gold made a positive start whilst, in the Cadet Girls’ Singles event, the highly seeded players all completed their group stage matches unbeaten.

Meanwhile, for the members of the ITTF World Hopes Team it was a question of testing your skills against more senior adversaries and most importantly, learning from the experience.