All five Chinese ladies make it through to the quarter-finals

The second batch of Ladies Singles matches saw England’s top lady player Joanna Parker in action. Her opponent could not have been more illustrious –
2011 World Singles Champion – 21 year-old Chinese Superstar Ding Ning.  Jo gave it her all – doesn’t she always – and she came close to taking two ends but a ‘Fairy tale’ ending never really looked on the cards. The no. two seed won 11-8, 11-1, 11-5, 11-9.

The busiest player of the day – Japan’s Kasumi Ishikawa – the only player doubling up in the Ladies and Under 21 Ladies Singles won her fourth game of
the day. The World no. seven eventually eased through 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9 against German no. one and World no. 16 Wu Jiaduo.

Making it five Chinese Ladies through to the last eight –  World no. two Li Xiaoxia made no mistake against Sun Beibei (Singapore) winning 11-4, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7. Perhaps the biggest complement you can pay to the leading Chinese lady players is that it is impossible to say who their top player is. Ding Ning, Gue Yan, Li Xiaoxia, Liu Shiwen and / or Gue Yue – they all look equally brilliant on their day.

Singapore’s Feng Tianwei is one of the players who has enjoyed success against the Chinese players in the past and the World no. four booked her place in the quarter-final. She didn’t drop a game disposing of Yan Ha Eun (Korea), the World no. 20 –  11-2, 13-11, 12-10, 11-8.

Steve Kerns