Wang triumphs in test of stamina
Hong Kong's Wang Chen shrugged off a tough schedule to win her second tournament of the year at the Taiwan Open yesterday.
Having won the Indonesia Open - a super series event - in May, the 31-year-old picked up another title by defeating Pi Hongyan of France 2-1 in the women's singles final of the grand prix gold tournament in Taipei.
'It was not an easy job for Wang considering her age,' said coach Chan Chi-choi.
'She came second in the world championships last month and reached the quarter-finals at the Japan Open last week. And she had to win five matches in Taiwan before capturing the title. It was a real test of her fitness and the result is encouraging.'
Although all entries from world powerhouse China were forced to pull out of the US$170,000 tournament because of visa problems, other leading players from all over the world were featured in the Taiwan event, including Denmark's Tine Rasmussen, who stunned China's Xie Xinfang in the final of the Japan Open.
'Only the Chinese are missing from the event and so it was still a difficult task for anyone to win the title,' Chan added.
After a hectic two months on the tour, Chan said he might pull Wang out of next month's Macau Open as she has already earned a number of Olympic ranking points.
'I need to check her condition before making a final decision,' he said. 'But most likely Wang will not take part in the Macau Open.'
