Top seed Ding Ning alongside fourth seed, Liu Shiwen, emerged victorious at the semi-final stage of the Women’s Singles event at the GAC GROUP 2012 ITTF World Tour Slovenian Open in Velenje on Sunday 29th January. In all Chinese affairs Ding Ning accounted for third seeded Guo Yan. Soon after, Liu Shiwen ended the hopes of eighth seeded, Wu Yang, the defending champion.

Furthermore, both players won in impressive fashions; neither was severely tested, neither was in imminent danger of defeat. Overall, a total of only one game was conceded.

Victory Margins
Ding Ning underlined the reasons why she occupies the top spot on the Women’s World Rankings by recording a five games victory (11-3, 5-11, 12-10, 13-11, 11-4), whilst Liu Shiwen proved once again to be the model of consistency, posting a four straight games win (11-6, 11-4, 11-3, 11-6).

Point Proven
After losing to the defensive skills of Wu Yang one week earlier in Hungary at the quarter-final stage of the Women’s Singles event, Ding Ning had a point to prove and she proved that point in a most determined manner, to return to the form shown on the ITTF Pro Tour last year.

Consistency
Unquestionably 2011 was a watershed in the career of Ding Ning where, in addition to her major successes at the GAC GROUP 2011 World Championships and the Volkswagen Women’s World Cup, she was the epitome of consistency on the ITTF Pro Tour.

It was only in Sweden, when beaten at the semi-final stage by Liu Shiwen, that she did not reach the final of a Women’s Singles event.

She won in England, the United Arab Emirates and Austria; whilst being the runner up in Qatar, China and at the Grand Finals in London.

Meetings with Guo Yan
Furthermore, in four of those tournaments she had faced Guo Yan and she had emerged successful in three of those meetings, the only defeat being in the most recent, when she was beaten in a close seven games encounter in the final in Suzhou at the Harmony China Open in August.

Prior to that reverse, Ding Ning had prevailed.

Successes
In the final at the English Open in January she succeeded in five games.

One month later in Qatar, she won in four straight games at the semi-final stage and then the following week, in another seven games duel, in the final in Dubai at the United Arab Emirates Open.

Debt Settled
At the GAC GROUP 2012 ITTF World Tour Slovenian Open, Ding Ning had two debts to settle, avenging the loss to Guo Yan in Suzhou and not reaching the penultimate stage on Tour for the first time in nearly two year.

Prior to her quarter-final defeat in Budapest one week earlier, the last occasion when Ding Ning had not reached the semi-final stage of an ITTF Pro Tour tournament was in February 2010 when beaten at the quarter-final stage by Liu Shiwen, the player she faces in the final.

Appearances
In a total of 29 appearances on Tour, since making her debut in Shenzhen in 2005 when 15 years old, she has now reached the semi-final stage of a Women’s Singles event on eleven occasions and progressed to the final seven times.

Meanwhile for Liu Shiwen, who had only met Wu Yang on one previous occasion in a world ranking event and had succeeded when the pair met in the final of the China Open in August 2009, it was her 33rd appearance on Tour, her 15th semi-final and her tenth success.

Shenzhen Debut
Similar to Ding Ning, she made her ITTF Pro Tour Debut in 2005 in Shenzhen

Source: http://www.ittf.com/_front_page/ittf_full_story1.asp?ID=26764&Competition_ID=2107&

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