Major Titles for Japan at Serbian Open

Penholder Kaii Yoshida wins power contest

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Kaii Yoshida and Sayaka Hirano, both from Japan, won the Men’s and Women’s Singles titles respectively at the Serbian Open in Belgrade on Sunday 22nd October 2006.

It was for both players their first ever titles on the ITTF Pro Tour.
In the Men’s Singles final Kaii Yoshida, the number three seed, powered his way to victory over Austria’s Kostadin Lengerov, winning in four straight games. Throughout the contest he strained every sinew to play his favoured forehand topspin, his ability to serve and follow with a tirade of devastating attacks winning the day.

Kaii Yoshida won 11-9, 11-5, 11-8, 11-8.

A straight games success for Japan in the Men’s Singles final but in the Women’s Singles final it was a different scenario. The top two seeded players faced each other with Sayaka Hirano justifying her number one place in the draw to beat the more experienced Wenling Tan Monfardini of Italy.

Fast exchanges were the order of the day, with the tactic of attacking Wenling Tan Monfardini’s forehand eventually paying dividends for the twenty-one year old Japanese lady.

Sayaka Hirano won 12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 9-11, 6-11, 11-7.

Defeat for Wenling Tan Monfardini in the Women’s Singles but there was success; earlier in the afternoon she partnered colleague Nikoleta Stefanova to victory in the Women’s Doubles final. Seeded two the Italians recovered from a two games to nil deficit against the top seeded Japanese pairing of Ai Fujinuma and Sayaka Hirano to secure victory.

Nikoleta Stefanova & Wenling Tan Monfardini won 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9. 11-4, 11-3.

Titles for the visitors to Serbia but to the delight of the home crowd there was a title for a host nation player. Aleksandar Karakasevic in partnership with Romania’s Andrei Filimon won the Men’s Doubles title beating Poland’s Wang Zeng Yi and Dániel Gorak in the final.

Aleksandar Karakasevic & Andrei Filimon won 11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-5.

Photo: Kaii Yoshida, the winner of the Men's Singles title at the Serbian Open in Belgrade

Source: ITTF

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