A week ago, Wen Ruibo fell just short – a great run until the final, where he lost to Qihao. This week, Ruibo took an extra step forward: a dominant performance in four matches and an epic victory in the final.
Just like last week, all three of the best Chinese team members fell early. Lin Shidong won a tight 3-2 match against Vladimir Siddorenko before losing 1-3 to Darko Joric in the quarter-finals. Liang Jingkun barely got going and lost 0-3 to Huang Youzheng in the first round. And Ziang Peng fell to Anton Kallberg in the second round. Even with the top seeds gone, China had two players reach the semifinals: 20-year-old Chen Yuanyu eliminated Kallberg to face Franziska in one semifinal, and 19-year-old Ruibo eliminated Duda and Junsong en route to Jorgic in the other semifinal.
Patrick Franziska defeated Chen Yuanyu 3-1, winning the first game, dropping the second and then closing out the match with ease. The other half of the draw saw the script flipped, with the Chinese player winning the first, dropping the second and then dominating – this time Ruibo easily beating Jorgic.
For Ruibo, he was 12-1 heading into the Final – including two wins over top European players. Ruibo seemed to be on a roll and won the first three games against Patrick Franziska in the Final. But with a 0-3 deficit, Franziska found a new gear and achieved three victories herself. And from this 3-3 position, the two played an epic final game, with Ruibo eventually winning 14-12.
China always seems to be reloading. Ruibo looks bigger than most of the current team members and he is fearless, pounding balls on both sides. At 19 years old, and now firmly in the world top 25, it looks like he will soon top the rankings to become one of China’s top 4.
The next big stop on the tour is the Singapore Smash – scheduled for February 19 – March 1. That’s an event that should see the return of Wang Chuqin, along with a near-top player of all time, including American Kanak Jha (Word No. 21).
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