Asian Cup from today

By Nandakumar Marar

MUMBAI, OCT. 19. Table tennis takes the first step towards evolving into a more visible sport when the 15th Asian Cup table tennis Championships gets underway in Mumbai on Friday. The three-day event will see 40mm balls will be used for the first time at the Asian level, the decision to introduce bigger balls being a radical move by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) to reduce pace of the game and lengthen rallies. This change came into force after the Sydney Olympic Games.

Hong Kong's Cheung Yuk, ranked 32nd in the world, is the top seed in the men's section, while Korea's Kim Kyung Ha, the world number 42, is the women's top seed. India will be represented by world number 84 Chetan Baboor, seeded third, and world number 394 Soumyadeep Roy, seeded eighth, and unseeded S. Raman in the men's draw. Two Indian women have found a place among the top eight players in the women's competition, world number 214 Mouma Das and world number 246 Poulomi Ghatak have been seeded seventh and eighth respectively.

According to Table Tennis Federation of India secretary, Mr.M.C.Chowhan, the absence of leading Asian stars from China like Olympic champions Kong Linghui and Wang Nan is due to the decision of their respective national federation to give the players a break after the Sydney Games. China has sent a six- member team, three each in the men's and women's section, but no player ranked high enough in the world to get a mention in the top eight seeds shortlisted for the 15th Asian Cup.

China's Guo Kelei won the men's title at the 14th Asian Cup table tennis, held in November 1997 at Pune. His teammate Wong Chen clinched the women's title. Baboor finished second in the men's, while S. Raman and Arup Basak were fifth and eighth respectively. No Indian woman was among the top eight at the Pune event.

The prize money for this championships, in keeping with an event sanctioned by the ITTF and Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU), is $ 6000 for the men's champion, $ 5000 for the women's winner. Other cash awards are-- men's runner-up (3000), joint third (1250 for two), joint fifth (600 for four); women's runner- up (2500), joint third (1000 for two), joint fifth (400 for four). The Maharashtra State Table Tennis Association will be organising the championships, under the guidance of Mr.Satish Pradhan, MP.

lSeedings: (World rankings in brackets): Men: 1. Cheung Yuk, Hong Kong (world number 32); 2. Leung Chu Yan, Hong Kong (58); 3. Chetan Baboor, India (84); 4. Yanagida Toshinori, Japan (248), 5. Cai Xiao Li, Singapore (276); 6. Mehran Ahadi, Iran (352); 7. Sakamoto Ryusuke, Japan (375); 8. Soumyadeep Roy, India (394).

Women: 1. Kim Kyung Ha, Korea (42); 2. Lau Suifei, Hong Kong (55); 3. Zhang Xue Ling, Singapore (56); 4. Kwok Fong Fong, Hong Kong (61); 5. Tan Paey Fem, Singapore (85); 6. Rossy Pretivi Dipoyenti, Indonesia (124); 7. Mouma Das, India (214); 8. Poulomi Ghatak, India (246).

Other participants: Men: Hao Shuai, Wang Zhe, Chen Tianyuan (China); Yang Meng Hsing, Yang Shun Hsiang (Chinese Taipei); Budiono (Indonesia); Beknazarov Ermek (Kazakhstan); Yoon Jae Young, Kim Joo Sang (Korea); Abdulaziz-al- Abbad (Saudi Arabia); Phakphoon Sanguansin (Thailand).

Women: Jiang Huajun, Guo Yue, Tang Yuan (China); Pan Li-Chun, Lu Yun-Geng (Chinese Taipei); Abe Ayumi, Sugita Sanae (Japan); Oblopova Nataliya (Kazakhstan); Yoon Ji Hye (Korea); Yao Linjing (Malaysia); Anisara Muangsuk (Thailand).

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