(By Barbara Wei)
2018 Butterfly Canada Cup Finals: Siqian Wu in a Class of her Own
Siqian Wu (ON), top seed in the women’s event and defending 2017 Canada Cup Finals champion, only dropped a single game on her way to the championship title. With her precise ball placement and effortless control, Siqian made difficult task of winning the championship title look easy.
In her round robin group, Siqian overcame fellow Ontario players Justina Yeung and Joyce Xu 3-0 and 3-1, in addition to Laura Lai from British Columbia. With those 3 wins, Siqian advanced into the semi-final to meet Ivy Liao (BC). This semi-final was a rematch of last year’s final, with a very similar result. Siqian won in 4 straight games, but Ivy did push Siqian to her limit in the 4th game, even securing a match point.
In the other semi-final, Joyce Xu and Yu-Hsan (Sabrina) Chen had a loud and exciting match – both fighting hard to make the final and try to secure their spots for the World Championship team. Joyce started very strong, taking an early 2-1 lead in the best of 7 match. With her fast footwork and dynamic play, Joyce consistently took the first attack putting constant pressure on Yu-Hsan. Yu-Hsan continued to fight back – carefully placing a few attacks and turned the momentum of the match in her favor in game 5. In the 6th game, with Joyce leading 3 games to 2, the two fought point by point, until Joyce closed out the match 11-9 to secure her spot in the final.
The final was a one-sided affair with Siqian winning in 4 straight games over Joyce Xu. An incredible competition by both talented table tennis women.
Continual coverage of the 2018 Butterfly Canada Cup Finals and stories about the athletes will be available at ButterflyOnline.com, or via Bowmar Sports’ Twitter and Facebook pages.
