SEOUL - Korean women's champion Ga-young Kim won her fourth consecutive tournament in the PBA/LPBA tour. The just 17-year-old Korean talent in the men's league, Young-won Kim, plays his first final today, Monday. His opponent is Tae-jun Oh. The PBA tour saw many famous players eliminated in the previous rounds. David Martinez, very strong against Dani Sánchez and Semih Sayginer, did not make it to the final due to his 4-2 loss against Young-won Kim.
The Spanish multiple winner in the PBA had eliminated two famous European opponents before his loss in the semis. David Martinez first won over Semih Sayginer 3-0 in the round with the best 16. The Spaniard gave his Turkish opponent no chance: 15-10, 15-3, 15-13, averages 2,143 against 1,300. In the round with the best eight, Martinez then was the better of Dani Sánchez, his illustrious compatriot whom he trailed by generous scores: 3-0 (15-1, 15-6, 15-9), averages 2.812 against 1.143. Sánchez had eliminated Eddy Leppens 3-1 in the round with the best 16.
David Martinez appeared to be on his way to new PBA success, but stumbled in the semi final against Young-won Kim, the young Korean who turned 17 last month. Young-won Kim beat Martinez 4-2 in a fairly even match, averaging 1.521 against 1.468. In the other semi-final, Tae-jun Oh won against routine player Choong Bok Lee 4-2.
Ga-young Kim was again the ruler among the women, her fourth PBA win in a row. She beat Min-young Kim 4-3 in the final after trailing 2-0 in sets by the scores 4-11, 7-11, 11-0, 2-11, 11-2, 11-8 and 9-3.
The new Korean star Young-won Kim is in the final for his first win in PBAs
David Martinez, wins over Sánchez and Sayginer, then a loss against Young-won Kim in the semi finals.
Ga-young Kim, fourth win in a row