August 22, 2010
Winner of the Boys’ Singles event in 2002 at the inaugural ITTF Cadet World Challenge, Zhang Jike, now 22 years old, won the Men’s Singles title at the Harmony China Open in Suzhou on Sunday 22nd August 2010 and in so doing established another first in his career.It was his first ever ITTF Pro Tour Men’s Singles title.

At the final hurdle, he beat 30 year old Ma Lin in a tremendous seven games duel to arrest the crown.

Attacking with a high level of consistency and as smooth as Kong Linghui in his heyday, Zhang Jike beat Ma Lin 11-3, 6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8.

Every Right to be Confident
The man eight years the junior came good but prior to the duel, Zhang Jike had every right to be confident; the pair had met on six previous occasions in world ranking events and Zhang Jike had won four of the duels.

Furthermore, he had won the most recent; he won when the par met in the quarter-finals of the Evergrande Real Estate Asian Cup in Guangzhou, a tournament that was to prove a watershed in his career,

Matured
Since appearing in the Salwa Cup Kuwait Open in February 2008, Zhang Jike has matured from being described as a promising young player trying to find his feet on the senior international scene, to becoming a fearsome competitor of world class.

The trip to Kuwait in 2008 was not filled with glory, he suffered an early round defeat at the hands of Austria’s Chen Weixing but the following week, in Qatar, he gave sufficient evidence to show that he possessed the potential to succeed on the international stage.

Qatar Open a Milestone
He reached the semi-final stage and then two years later in February in the same venue he progressed to his first ever Men’s Singles final on the ITTF Pro Tour; it was not to be a first win, he was beaten by the more experienced compatriot, Wang Liqin.

Painful Experience
The defeat hurt but not as much as the defeat he suffered in the early stages of the Evergrande Real Estate Asian Cup in Guangzhou one month later, he was beaten by Hong Kong’s Ko Lai Chak.

After the match, externally he maintained the dignity of a true sportsman, he maintained his composure, his good manners but inside he was boiling, he was furious with himself. He was the wounded tiger, at his most dangerous.

Put to the Sword
One fact was clear after that defeat, whoever Zhang Jike had to play next was in serious trouble; the one defeat meant he qualified for the second stage of proceedings in Guangzhou and whoever lay in his wake was put to the sword.

On Sunday 28th March 2010, he overwhelmed Singapore’s Gao Ning in the final; from the very first point, it was clear there was going to be only one winner.

Not Foresight Needed
It was for Zhang Jike, his biggest title to date and you did not need to be a mind reader or fortune teller to predict that an ITTF Pro Tour Men’s Singles crown was in the offing.

In Suzhou, the prediction was realised.

Source: www.ittf.com

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