Kang Minho and Lam Yee Lok Crowned Junior Champions in Markham

October 7, 2012

Scotiabank 2012 Canada Junior & Cadet Open presented by Butterfly
Oct 02-06, 2012, Markham, CAN

Results: Junior Boys | Junior Girls | Cadet Boys | Cadet Girls

Courtesy of ITTF

Korea’s Kang Minho and Hong Kong’s Lam Yee Lok emerged as the respective winners of the Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ Singles titles at the Scotiabank Canadian Junior and Cadet Open in Markham on Saturday October 6, 2012.

It was for both their first ever ITTF Junior Circuit singles title; for Kang Minho totally unchartered waters, for Lam Yee Lok a step higher. Earlier in the year in New Zealand she had been the runner up in the Junior Girls’ Singles event, beaten by Singapore’s Isabelle Siyun Li.

Furthermore the success recorded by Lam Ye Lok was as predicted; the gold medal for Kang Minho was a total surprise.

Not Seeded
He was not seeded; in the group stage of proceedings he upset the pecking order by beating Hong Kong`s Hung Ka Tak, the no.4 seed, before in the main draw going from strength to strength.

In the second round he accounted for Chu Hoi Man, also from Hong Kong (11-8, 11-6, 11-6, 11-3), before defeating Argentina’s Pablo Saragovi, the no.6 seed (9-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-6, 11-7) in the quarter-finals and Chinese Taipei’s Lee Chia-Sheng, the top seed, in the penultimate round; a contest that proved to be his closest examination (11-6, 9-11, 5-11, 9-11, 14-12, 11-7).

More Pain for Chinese Taipei
A place in the final booked; he caused Chinese Taipei more pain.

He recovered from a two games to nil deficit to beat Liao Cheng-Ting to arrest the title (5-11, 3-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9).

Surprise Finalist
The success recorded by Kang Minho was a surprise; equally the appearance of Liao Chen-Ting in the final was a surprise.

At the semi-final stage he upset the seeding; he beat Canada’s hope for glory, Chen Hongtao , the no.2 seed, in seven games (5-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-1, 9-11, 10-12, 11-4).

Justified Top Seeded Place
Meanwhile, in the Junior Girls’ Singles event there was no stopping Lam Yee Lok.

She totally justified her top seeded position in the draw.

She accounted for Charlotte Carey of Wales, the no.4 seed, in the semi-finals (11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-2, 11-3), before defeating surprise finalist Korea’s Lee Yaeji, to secure the top prize (8-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-5, 11-4).

Korean Upset Seedings
Lee Yaeji, having ousted the fourth seed, Argentina’s Agustina Iwasa at the quarter-final stage one day earlier (11-6, 12-10, 11-8, 12-10), continued her good form on the concluding day.

In the penultimate round she accounted for the host nation’s Anqi Luo, the no.2 seed, in a nail-biting seven games duel (11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 8-11, 11-5, 12-14, 12-10).

More Hong Kong Success
Success for Hong Kong in the Junior Girls’ Singles event and there was also success in the Cadet Boys’ Singles competition where Hung Ka Tak struck gold.

He accounted for Korea’s Oh Juhyeong in the semi-finals (11-1, 11-9, 11-7) and the latter’s colleague, Oh Jeongwon in the final (11-6, 11-7, 14-12). In the counterpart semi-final, Oh Jeongwon had overcome Canada’s Li Xuebo (11-7, 11-8, 11-3).

Puerto Rican Gold
Gold for Hung Ka Tak in the Cadet Boys’ Singles event and in the Cadet Girls’ Singles competition the first prize went to Puerto Rico; Adriana Diaz, the top seed and only 11 years old, claimed the title to conclude an outstanding four days.

Unbeaten earlier in the week in the Cadet Girls’ Team event, she retained the form in the Cadet Girls’ Singles event and duly underlined her immense promise and the tremendous progress being made in the Caribbean island.

Adriana Diaz, the Cadet Girls’ Singles winner
Photo by David Wu