Chuang Chih-Yuan
| Chuang Chih-Yuan | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nationality |
 Taiwan
|
| Born |
April 2, 1981 Kaohsiung, Taiwan |
| Playing style | Right-handed shakehand grip |
| Highest ranking | 3 (December 2003) |
| Current ranking | 9 (December 2016) |
| Club | SV Werder Bremen (Germany) |
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Weight | 60 kg (130 lb; 9.4 st) |
Chuang Chih-Yuan (traditional Chinese: 莊智淵; simplified Chinese: 庄智渊; pinyin: Zhuāng Zhìyuān; born 2 April 1981) is a Taiwanese table tennis player. Winner of ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals 2002. As of August 2016 he is ranked 7 in the world.
Chuang's parents were both table tennis players in Taiwan. His father was a national doubles champion, and his mother Li Kuei-Mei was a member of the national team. After the end of Li's career as a player, her son, Chih-Yuan, became one of her prodigies in table tennis.
Chuang started competing in 1989, at the age of 8. From the age of 13 his mother sent him to China for training several times. Chuang first made it to the Taiwan national team in 1998. In 1999, Chuang made his World Championships and ITTF Pro Tour debut. At the end of 2000, his mother decided to let Chuang train in Europe, including France and Germany. The process made his matches a combination of the Chinese and European playing styles.
2002 was a sparkling year in Chuang's career. He reached his first three finals on the Pro Tour, but ended them all as the runner-up. He entered the world Top 10 list in September, won the silver medal at the Asian Games and participated in his first World Cup. At the year's end, he consecutively faced the opponents who defeated him in the previous three finals of the Pro Tour, and recorded three straight wins at the Pro Tour Grand Finals. He defeated Jean-Michel Saive in the quarter-final, Wang Hao in the semi-final, and Kalinikos Kreanga in the final, claiming the title of Grand Finals Champion.
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