Chiang Peng-lung, the champion from Chinese Taipei

Chiang Peng-lung is currently placed at thirty-one in the ITTF Men’s World rankings. The champion from Chinese Taipei plays with a penhold grip. In the year 2001, he was at number four for several months. He won the 2000 ITTF Pro Tour men’s singles held in Toulouse, France, and the 2001 ITTF Tour in Yokohama, Japan. He also emerged as the winner in the 2000 Asian Championship ATTU in Doha, Qatar. In the 2001 World Cup held in Courmayeur, Italy, and in the 2001 World Champions in Osaka, Japan, Chiang Peng-lung reached the semifinals. The other semifinals achieved by Chiang Peng-lung were the 2001 ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals in Hainan, China, the 2000 ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals in Kobe City, Japan, and the 1999 ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals in Melbourne, Australia. He also reached the semifinals in the 2003 ITTF Pro Tour in Jeju-Si, Korea. Recently, in the 2006 Asian Cup in Kobe, Japan, Chiang Peng-lung was placed third in the men’s singles event.

One of the important matches in the table tennis career of Chiang Peng-lung was when be beat the formidable Liu Guoliang in the 2002 China Open World Table Tennis Championships on May 31, 2002. After the triumph, Chiang said, “I realized that Liu was using fast services to make up for not being comfortable with the new large ball. After that it was a matter of getting used to it and hitting back with my backhand. In the fourth game I became too eager to finish it off.” On the other hand, Liu commented, “It was really a pity that I couldn't profit from coming back in the fourth game. I thought I got control, but when I had 19-17, Chiang again became more aggressive. To be honest, at this World Championships, I haven't been my best."

In the 2004 Olympic Games, Chiang Peng-lung lost to Ryu Seung Min of South Korea 4-3 in the fourth round. Ryu Seung Min went on to win the Gold Medal, beating Wang Hao of China 4-2. In the U.S. Open held in July 2000 in Florida, Chiang Peng-lung was defending the title and he eliminated the 1998 champion Michel Saive and then brought down the world number one, Kong Linghui. He reached the finals by beating Werner Schlager in the semifinals. In the finals, Chiang Peng-lung had a 2-game advantage against Wang Liqin of China. However, Wang Liqin came back from behind to take the title in a 5-game match and Chiang Peng-lung was forced to be content with a second spot.

In an interview in June 2002, Kong Linghui explained his strategies while playing Chiang Peng-lung. He mentioned that Chiang, using a penholder grip, did not have the rallying powers of the shakehanders, and the ability to initiate attacks and create spin on his backhand was also weaker for Chiang. As such, when Chiang returned from the ball from his forehand side, Kong would return that shot to the backhand of Chiang, creating an advantage for himself. Kong knew that if he could not stop the attack of Chiang from his forehand side, he would come under pressure.