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Analysis: Medal Fight for Universiade Tennis Games Complicated
The Universiade tennis competition is always a cradle of new stars and it is very difficult to predict who will win the titles. But Asian players are relatively more hopeful to advance to the finals of the two women's events and the mixed doubles.
As the host, China has sent its best players to try to gain medals at least in a women's event.
About 160 players from 46 countries and regions have registered for competing in the 21st Universiade tennis competition to be held on August 23-30 at the newly-built Beijing Muxiyuan Tennis Center in the southern part of the city. These players will take part in the competition of five events -- men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles.
The new center has 17 top-grade outdoor courts at the international standard including one central court which can house 2,400 audience and four main courts which have 472 seats each. There are 125 referees including seven from other countries, and 140 ball kids, and more than 70 volunteers working for in the competition.
According to the players' world ranking and their performance in the last Universiade held in Palma, Spain, Hungary's Bence Hamor, world No.78, is the strongest competitor for the men's singles. His potential arch rivals might be from South Korea, Slovakia, Russia and China. The Chinese top player, Zhu Benqiang, ranked 540th for the singles, will draw the Chinese audience's attention in the event.
The men's doubles might be a stage of European players as Slovakia's Branislav Sekac, rated 230th, tops the ranking of the registered players and the Czech Republic and Russia are also strong in the event.
In the women's singles, Chinese Taipei's defending champion Janet Lee, ranked 88th, will meet severe challenge from Hungary's Edit Pakay, world No.78, South Korea's Kim Eun-Ha, rated 189th, and China's new star Li Na, ranked 273rd.
In the women's doubles, defending champion Janet Lee, ranked 41 st for doubles, has set a new pair with Weng Tzu-Ting, a teenager rated 568th, as her former partner Wang Tse-Ting retired. Janet Lee, 24, who was born in Taiwan but grew up and received tennis training in the United States has been the ace female tennis player in Taiwan in recent years.
Although this new pair had ever defeated China's first pair Li Na, rated 188th for doubles, and Li Ting, ranked 199th, in a game in Taiwan. they would meet the toughest challenge here because Beijing is the host of the 21st Universiade, Zhang Yuehan, the coach of the Chinese Taipei women tennis team, told reporters.
Maybe, a number of new stars will emerge from Europe or Latin America because those regions have a better atmosphere for tennis, Zhang added.
In the mixed doubles, South Koran's defending champions Kim Dong-Hyun and Kim Eun-Ha have come again to regain the title. But the strength of their opponents is not clear so far.
China has sent four male and four female players to compete in all the five events of the Universiade tennis games. Yu Liqiao, the coach of the women's team, said that although China has yet been a tennis giant, all her players are determined to make all- out efforts to achieve the best results in the Universiade tennis games because they are competing on their homeland.
Former female Chinese tennis player, Yi Jingqian, had ever entered the top 100 players in the world and won a title in a Universiade. Li Na, a new shinning star, arouses the Chinese people's hope for gaining a medal in the games.
Meanwhile, Ma Keqin, the coach of the men's team, said that his players are well prepared for the games and their morale is quite high. But he refused to predict the results of the games.
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