TABLE TENNIS : Bhushan Proves She’s Better Than the Over-40 Guys

Insook Bhushan didn’t just “play like a guy” Saturday at the National Seniors Open Table Tennis Tournament.

She played better than the guys.

Bhushan, an 11-time U.S. Women’s champion, won the male-dominated over-40 Open competition at Leisure World without losing a game in five matches.

In the finals, Bhushan, 40, defeated fellow Aurora, Colo., resident Bohdan Dawidowicz, 21-9, 21-8, 21-11 and earned $1,000. Dawidowicz received $500.

Dawidowicz, 54, a member of the U.S. Senior Men’s Team, upset two-time defending Seniors champion Rey Domingo in three games in the semifinals.

Bhushan, a member of the 1988 Olympic team, finished the first game by winning 10 consecutive points. She then won 11 of the first 12 points in the second game.

Bhushan, a native of Seoul and the top-ranked U.S. woman since coming to the U.S. in 1974, showed outstanding control, forcing the pace against the defensive-minded Dawidowicz.

A gold medalist at the 1983, 1987 and 1991 Pan American Games, Bhushan had an answer for each tactic applied by her various opponents throughout the day. In the semifinals against Xin Peng, a former Chinese junior champion, Bhushan played excellent defense against Peng’s hard-hitting style.

Several times Peng appeared to have won a point with a forehand smash only to see Bhushan make a deep, accurate return to stay in the point.

When Dawidowicz relied on defense in the finals, Bhushan easily made the transition to an attack strategy. Her strokes were consistently deep and well-angled and frequently sent Dawidowicz scrambling.