NZ Junior Open (25-28 September 2003) revisited, a summary from Malcolm Wong including how some of the players have progressed:
This World Junior Circuit Tournament was held, in conjunction with the New Zealand Championships, at the Queens Wharf Events Centre in Wellington City. There were four Oceania countries. New Zealand, Australia, New Caledonia and Fiji. From Asia came China, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Japan and India.
John Stapleton (TTNZ representative and main co-ordinator) and PaulEscott (TTW Chairperson) headed the team organising the event. Key areas were handled by Andrew Palmer, Sabine Westenra and Robert Chung (Information Technology), Shona Cudby (Control Table), Merv Allardyce (Equipment), Averil Roberts (Administration), Ron Menchi (Accommodation), Malcolm Wong (Transport), Steve McCarthy and Robert Chung (Publicity, Sponsorship, Opening Ceremony) and John Stapleton (Timetable, within ITTF formula). The Referee was Angelo Tabone (Australia) and the Deputy Referee was Michael McAvinue (Manawatu). The umpires included Richard Ammundsen, Paul Escott, Averil Roberts and Malcolm Wong from Wellington.
China dominated all the events.
They won both the Boys and Girls Teams and also the Boys and Girls Singles and Doubles. Zhang Jike won the Boys Singles and the Doubles with Ma Long. Jia Jun won the Girls Singles. Chang Chenchen and Feng Tianwei won the Girls Doubles.
Chinese players at this tournament were to achieve further success at the World Junior Championships. Li Hu (2003) and Ma Long (2004) were to win the Boy Singles. Chang Chenchen won the Girls Singles and Doubles (2004).
At senior level, the following were to achieve success at the World Team Championships this year. Feng Tianwei, who had lost to Stephanie Sang (Australia) in the Girls Singles quarter finals 2-4, moved to Singapore in 2007. She represented Singapore at the World Championships and Olympics in 2008 where the team were runner up to China on both ocassions. This year she won 2 singles when Singapore beat China 3-1 in the Women’s World Team finals in Moscow. She is currently the World Number 2.
Ma Long and Zhang Jike were in the China Men’s Team which won this years World Teams final by beating Germany 3-1. Ma Long has been World Number 1 since January 2010 and Zhang Jike is currently World Number 5.
Table Tennis Wellington 