Round 1:
Men's:
Shanghai lost to Zhejiang, in what has become a predictable outcome for many subsequent matches: World number-one Wang Liqin would win his single match, and no other player could win another match. Wang would also lose his doubles match, partnering with Guo Jinhao. Cheung Yuk from HKTTA has added a new dimension to the Zhejiang team. He won his doubles match while losing to Wang in singles in this tie.
Superpower Luneng signed Ma Lin this season, and immediately established itself as the favorite to win it all. Ma beat Shaanxi’s Liu Guoliang in a 5-gamer, while Liu Guozheng took care of Leung Chu-Yan in 4. Yan Sen scored the sole victory for Shaanxi by beating veteran Zhang Yong. In doubles, Liu GZ/Zhang Yong overcame the less-established pair Liu GL/Yan Sen 3-1 to seal the tie victory.
Heilongjiang needed a Golden Ball victory by Kong over Li Jing to score the difficult 3-2 win over Hebei. Kong won all three of his outings in this tie. Li Jing (HKTTA) beat Zhang Peng, and Han Yang beat Xu Hui to account for Hebei’s two points.
Guangdong took a difficult 3-1 win over Beijing. Tang Peng upset Guangdong’s new member Qin Zhijian in a 3-2 match, and Ko Lai Chak (HKTTA) evened things with another 5-gamer over chopper Hou Yingchao. Tan Ruiwu beat Liu Heng to go up 2-1, and Qin/Ko beat the fine doubles pair Liu Heng/Gao Wei in a tight 3-0 win to seal the 3-1 victory over the very young Beijing team.
Nanjing and Sichuan each fielded a relatively inexperienced team, with no big names. Sichuan persevered in a tight 3-2 win, with penholder Wang Jianjun the eventual hero beating Shan Mingjie 5-3 in the Golden Ball match.
PLA beat Tianjin in a 3-1 victory. Wang Hao won in his two outings, and Zhan Jian supplied the other win. The Tianjin club is young, but both Li Ping and Hao Shuai are players to watch out for.
Women's
Lin Ling, playing for the Hong Kong TTA, joined the Shandong Luneng club, and therefore severely reduced the strength of her former Jiangsu club, which is is now also without the services of Li Ju. Lin was not successful in her debut singles match against Guangdong's Wang Xiaohua, losing 0-3. She redeemed herself in the fourth doubles match, partnering with Li Fun to tie the match score at 2-2. Luneng's Jiang Huajun then beat Wang in the Golden Ball match to claim the team's first victory.
The strong Hebei club, anchored by Niu Jianfeng and Bai Yang, took a 3-1 victory over the young Sichuan team. Niu won her singles match, and she was not to lose one until very late in Phase 1.
Liaoning, a title contender, also won its first match 3-1 over the weak Shanxi club. Wang Nan won her two matches, and Li Jia won the singles to account for the 3 points. Zhang Rui, now playing for the Hong Kong TTA, is Wang Nan's doubles partner.
Tianjin, led by penholder Li Nan, also scored a 3-1 win over Henan. Gao Yue, the 13-year-old phenom, won her singles to account for Henan's only point.
The Beijing club, led by Zhang Yining and Guo Yan, is another title contender. It also took a 3-1 victory, over the Shanghai Telecom/Eastern China Polytechnic University club, which is led by Gao Jun and An Konishi. Gao, a member of the USATT, is the oldest player in the Super League. She was playing marvelously well, and would eventually not lose a singles match in Phase 1. She however did not play in all the ties. She won her singles match against Beijing's 3rd singles Li Qiangbing, but lost her doubles. An Konishi did not play in this tie.
In a match of two depleted teams, PLA beat Jiangsu 3-2. Sun Jin
was recovery from surgery and would not play in Phase 1. Yang Ying, together
with Zhang Yingying, would find the going very tough now that she has left
the national team.