Amy Wang was the Women’s Singles star of the 2022 JOOLA Global Championships, which saw over 300 competitors descend upon the Gaylord Palms Convention and Resort in Orlando, Florida. Through 4 days of intense competition, the Women’s Singles was a tough event with a challenging field of competitors.
Wang, one of the top players in the United States, formally ranked as high as number 2 in the world for junior girls, sought to make her mark on the event in the Women’s Singles event. The 2021 US National Champion took no prisoners on her way to the gold.
Wang survived a tough encounter with number 5 seed Guo Jiangshan in the quarterfinals in a wild and very back and forth match. Score margins were at total opposite ends of the field – with 6 of the 7 sets scoring 11-5 or lower. Wang trailed 2-0 before evening out the match, but started down a 3-2 deficit as the pressure mounted. She was able to win in 7 games and setup a semifinal showdown with one of her biggest US rivals, 3-time US Olympian Lily Zhang.
The semifinal was an almost flawless performance from Wang as she took on top-seeded Zhang. With devastating backhand flick serve returns fast and deep to opposite corners, Wang was able to assert herself early in the rallies, overpowering Zhang on the follow-up attacks.
While Zhang focused her efforts down the center of the table to try and reduce Wang’s angle plays and target the elbow, Wang seemed unphased. She got off to a bold lead, winning the first 9 points in a row in game one – momentum she held for the entire match.
As Zhang struggled for answers against the in-form Wang, the match burned on. Sets dropped in favor of Wang and before you could blink she had won the match 4-0 with a truly outstanding performance. Zhang bowed out of the event, having struggled to find her form and bring her best to the table.
The Final Showdown – Amy Wang vs. Hong Lin
Heading into the finals, both Amy Wang and Hong Lin had blitzed through their semifinals in straight games, with Lin overcoming Li Yue comfortably.
Lin, a short pips penholder with an effective and aggressive inverted reverse penhold backhand, was the second seed of the singles event.
Lin struck first, capitalizing off a tight serve game and heavy rotation on her backhand openings and whipping through her 5th ball attacks. It was a tight match throughout the first four games but gradually Wang found the advantage.
Wang opened steadily to Lin’s backhand, doubling down and pressing the angles into the rallies. Serve receive was another strength for Wang, with her total commitment to inside-out backhand flick winners under pressure proving awe-inspiring for the spectators.
With a 3-1 lead it was Lin who tightened up play and started to find some more assertive forehand opportunities. Wang squandered away more points, driving the ball flat and taking more risk, as the finish line came within sight.
While Lin was able to take the 5th game, it was Amy Wang who refocused, coming back from the bench with a renewed sense of conviction – no doubt aided by an energetic and highly motivated coach in Cory Eider.
Wang pressed on, bringing home the points in most of the longer rallies, snapping together topspin shots with ease and staying cool and calm as she did so.
With match points in hand and a gold medal beckoning, Wang closed out the match.
A well deserved victory for Amy Wang, who couldn’t help but smile at the excellent result. The Women’s Singles title to her name and $7,000usd for her efforts, a very successful performance at the 2022 JOOLA Global Championships, well done Amy!
