2008 Paralympic Games

Day 1 - Sept. 7

2008 PARALYMPIC GAMES: Men's and Women's Table Tennis Singles Competition Underway

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 7, 2008

BEIJING, China - Two U.S. players pulled out first-round wins Sunday at the 2008 Paralympic Games in men's and women's singles table tennis events at Peking University Gymnasium in Beijing, China.

Andre Scott (Fort Worth, Texas) won his match against Dietmar Kober of Germany 3-1 to highlight competition in the men's class four-five singles. Scott took charge early, winning the first two games 13-11 and 11-7. Kober, the higher-seeded competitor, took the third game 5-11. Scott came back to win the fourth game 11-9.

"I was sort of like the sleeping giant," said Scott. "My serve was really effective. I kept serving to his middle forehand, and made him have to decide what to do with it. I just wanted to limit my mistakes and keep the ball in play. Sometimes I get a little impatient and start rushing the shots, but I was able to hold it together and fight to do the right things."

In men's class nine-ten singles, Tahl Leibovitz (Ozone Park, N.Y.) swept the match 3-0 against The Netherlands' Tonnie Heijnen. Leibovitz made the first two games look effortless, winning 11-6 and 11-3. Heijnen, a 2004 Paralympic gold-medalist in the team event, made an attempt to come back in the third game. Leibovitz held on to win 13-11 and seal his first round victory.

"Tahl played with great focus and concentration," said coach Sean O'Neill. "Winning 3-0 is huge."

In men's class seven singles, three-time Paralympian Mitch Seidenfeld (Lakeville, Minn.) lost 1-3 to Poland's Adam Jurasz. The 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the team event proved to be too much for Seidenfeld, who dropped the first game 7-11 and the second game 6-11. The U.S. player came back to win the third game, defeating Jurasz 11-8, before losing the fourth game 7-11.

"I never got into feeling relaxed and comfortable," said Seidenfeld. "He did a good job. It was a tough one."

Noga Nir-Kistler (Allentown, Pa.) lost 1-3 in the first round of the women's class five singles. Nir-Kistler came out strong in the first game to defeat her opponent, Kimie Bessho of Japan, 12-10. Bessho won the second game 8-11. In the third game, Bessho jumped out early to take a 5-1 lead, but Nir-Kistler fought back to tie the score 7-7. It wasn't enough to propel her to a win, however. Bessho came out on top 9-11, then finished off the match with a 6-11 win in the fourth game.

"She played well," said Nir-Kistler. "It's always good to win the first game, but the next game always starts at zero. The next step is to get ready mentally for tomorrow."

Competition continues Monday with Round 2 match-ups. Nir-Kistler faces Italy's Maria Nardelli at 10:00 a.m., while Scott takes on Great Britain's Scott Robertson at 12:40 p.m. and Seidenfeld plays Stephane Messi of France at 8:40 p.m. Beijing local time.

A total of 267 athletes from 45 countries will compete for medals over the course of the week. China and France brought the largest teams, each with 26 athletes. The tournament includes both individual and team events, with players allocated to classes depending on their disability. Classes 1-5 are for wheelchair players, while classes 6-10 are for standing players.

For more information or to arrange an athlete interview, please contact Allison Frederick at 139 106 33438 (if calling from the U.S., dial 011 86 plus the local number).