Taiwan's tennis team hoping for a smashing time

If Taiwan doesn't win more medals in tennis at the 14th Asian Games it won't be for lack of preparation, effort or teamwork.

Coach Shih Neng-tung (施能通) has rallied his troops into a tight-knit unit that that works and plays together. It is also, evidently, one of the happiest teams on the courts at the Gumjeong stadiums complex, in Busan, South Korea.

With victories in the men's singles, mixed doubles and men's individual doubles yesterday, the country looks set for a lower place medal at least -- to add to the bronze in the women's team event it has already bagged.

After blowing away the Tajikistan duo in two sets, Steve Cheng (鄭為仁) and Chen Ti (陳迪) said they could improve further, though they may find the familial Thailand partnership of Paradorn and Narathorn Srichaphan too tough in the later stages.

"We're all really pumped up," Cheng said after the match. "We all know each other pretty well and we hang out, practice and support each other."

There is also a blend of young talent and experience in the team that bodes well for the future of tennis in Taiwan.

Nineteen-year-old Lu Yen-hsun (盧彥勳) wiped out Macau's Lei Hou-in, 6-0, 6-0, in the men's singles and Jimmy Wang (王宇佐) disposed of Rasid Malik in two sets.

Playing with a blistered big toe, 17-year-old Wang said he was eager to add a medal to all the domestic titles that he has won. "I'm enjoying taking time out and playing for my country and I just hope I do well."

Later in the day, Wang was partnered by Chuang Chia-jung (莊佳容) as they took just three sets to overcome Indonesia's pairing in the mixed doubles, an event that could provide his best chance of taking a gold medal at this Games.

Relative veteran and women's tour player Janet Lee (李慧芝), 25, is no stranger to success and has already picked up a bronze medal at this year's Asian Games in the team event.

Though born in the US, Lee said she had chosen to play for Taiwan for a variety of reasons, such as "going back to my roots."

She said she was prepared to play in any event, but has stepped aside to let Wang I-ting (王薏婷) and Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) compete in the women's singles.

As far as her own career is concerned, she said she was thinking of either stepping down a level on the women's tour -- to the challenger level -- or doing something else.

"I'm looking to get out of the game and might go to university and catch up on the education I missed because of tennis," Lee said.

"I've got to the stage now where I want to do something different, even if I don't know what it is yet," she said.

Having competed against the best in the game, Lee is clearly finding it hard to maintain her motivation as she slips in the women's tour rankings.

Despite success earlier this year in a minor tournament and her highly publicized doubles partnership with Anna Kournikova, she clearly feels it is time to move on.

"I've been married to tennis for a long time now. Relationships are hard to keep up on tour and maybe it's time to look to the future," she said.