2016 Slovak Junior Open – ITTF Junior Circuit
Japan dominated proceedings in the Boys’ Team event at the 2016 Slovakia Junior Open in Senec. They won gold and silver. In the title deciding contest just one player was not from the Land of the Rising Sun – Canada’s Jeremy HAZIN.
He was in the silver medal winning team alongside Aoto ASAZU and Takeru KASHIWA. However it was three Japanese players they faced in the final who emerged successful – Yu KAYAMA Shunsuke TOGAMI and Hiromu KOBAYASHI.
Yu KAYAMA beat both Aoto ASAZU (8-11 11-8 10-12 11-8 14-12) and in vital fifth match of the engagement Takeru KASHIWA (11-8 11-6 14-12).
Occupying the top seeded position in the competition en route to the title on the second day of play Jeremy HAZIN Aoto ASAZU and Takeru KASHIWA had experienced few problems. At the quarter-final stage they had recorded a three-one success against the Hungarian trio of Mate BRUCKNER Istvan MOLNAR and Gergo TIMAFALVI prior to recording a three-nil win over Germany’s Nils HOHMEIER Tobias HIPPLER and Cedric MEISSNER.
Yu KAYAMA Shunsuke TOGAMI and Hiromu KOBAYASHI starting matters as the eleventh seeds after recording a three-nil win in opposition the fifth seeded Serbia ‘A’ Team trio of Aleksa GACEV Nikola MARINKOVIC and Pero TEPIC; the full five games were needed to end the hopes of Belgium the second seeds.
Yu Kayama in the opening match of the fixture beat Thibaut DARCIS (11-5 11-9 11-9); in vital fifth and deciding duel he defeated Florian CNUDDE (4-11 11-7 13-11 11-8).
Top seeds the combination of Puerto Rico’s Adriana DIAZ alongside Thailand’s Jinnipa SAWETTABUT and Monapsorn SARITAPIRAK justified their exalted status to win the Girls’ Team title. At the final hurdle they overcame the second seeded Czech combination of Marketa SEVCIKOVA Stanslava SLEZAKOVA and Nikita PETROVOVA by three match to one.
Adriana Diaz beat both Markets SEVCIKOVA (12-10 11-6 11-4) and Nikita PETROVOVA (11-9 11-6 11-5). The one win for the Czech Republic was posted by Nikita PETROVOVA; in the opening match of the fixture she defeated Jinnipa SAWETTABUT (8-11) 11-9 11-7 11-7).
At the semi-final stage Adriana Diaz Jinnipa SAWETTABUT and Monapsorn SARITAPIRAK had accounted for the combination formed by India’s Selena SELVAKUMAR who joined forces with Ukraine’s SOLOMIYA BRATEYKO and Natalia DIVINSKA.
