By Sports Reporter/Doha


Li Xue of France, Monaco’s Yang Xiaoxin and Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yi-Hua scored upsets, as matters commenced in the first round of the women’s singles event at the GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour Qatar Open yesterday.
Using her textbook correct defensive skills to the full and seemingly never-ending patience, Li Xue overcame Hong Kong’s Lee Ho Ching, the No. 8 seed, in four straight games (11-9, 11-6, 12-10, 11-4), to cause the biggest upset of the day. It is the second week in a row that Lee Ho Ching has suffered an opening-round defeat against a qualifier. In Kuwait, she was beaten by Singapore’s Zhou Yihan at the first hurdle.
It was also a similar scenario for Turkey’s Hu Melek, the No. 11 seed. She too experienced a first round reverse in Kuwait, and it was the same in Qatar. Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem proved the nemesis in Kuwait; in Qatar it was Huang Yi-Hua, who beat Melek in six games (11-13, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7).
“I practise with Li I-Chen a great deal, so playing against short pimples is nothing new for me. I’m used to that style of play,” explained Huang I-Hwa.
“It is important to play slowly, not too fast and play with a great deal of top spin; certainly today was better than last time, I played her in Spain and lost four-three.”
It was the same for Monaco’s Yang Xiaoxin. Like Li Xue and Huang Yi-Hua, she had been required to compete in the preliminary stages. Improving as the match progressed she recovered from a three games to nil deficit to beat Germany’s Shan Xiaona, the No. 9 seed, 12-14, 10-12, 4-11, 11-3, 12-10, 11-7, 11-3.