European team`s champions Marcos FREITAS Tiago APOLONIA and Joao MONTEIRO won their games Men`s Singles event in opening day on 2014 ITTF World Tour Airports of Regions Russian Open at Ekaterinburg. The biggest disappointment for the host fans came from
European team`s champions Marcos FREITAS Tiago APOLONIA and Joao MONTEIRO won their games Men`s Singles event in opening day on 2014 ITTF World Tour Airports of Regions Russian Open at Ekaterinburg. The biggest disappointment for the host fans came from last year`s runner up Alexander SHIBAEV who was beaten in his very first encounter.
Top seed in Men`s Singles event Dimitrij OVTCHAROV beat host Aleksei ARTEMKIN in straight games of Round of 64 and after that defeated young Frenchman Simon GAUZY in six games. Tomorrow in Round of 16 he will meet Grigory VLASOV unique Russian who survived after first two rounds. VLASOV was better than Japanese Mizuki OIKAWA and his compatriot Kirill SKACHKOV twice in six sets.
Five more Europeans will continue their path tomorrow in singles event two Englishmen Paul DRINKHAL and Liam PITCHFORD and golden Portuguese trio Marcos FREITAS Tiago APOLONIA and Joao MONTEIRO who won recent 2014 TMS European Teams Championships in Lisbon. In the Round of 16 the biggest task will have MONTEIRO who plays against no. 2 seed Japanese Jun MIZUTANI.
Last season`s runner up Alexander SHIBAEV was beaten by young Japanese Kenta TAZOVE in six games of opening round.
Six representatives of Old Continent reached Round of 16 in Women`s Singles event: Kristin SILBEREISEN Carole GRUNDISCH Polina MIKHAILOVA SHAN Xiona Yana NOSKOVA and Petrissa SOLJA. Due to defeats of Irene IVANCAN and WU Jiaduo it was not perfect day for Germans.
Two Russian and two French pairs progressed in Men`s Doubles quarter final. Host country will surely have one representative in the semis because Grigory VLASOV and Fedor KUZMIN will play against Alexey LIVENTSOV and Mikhail PAIKOV.
Top seeded women`s pair SHAN Xiaona and Petrissa SOLJA were eliminated in opening round by Miyu MAEDA and Hitomi SATO. Japanese players will meet host Maria DOLGIKH and Polina MIKHAILOVA. Irene IVANCAN and Kristin SILBEREISEN (Germany) are playing today against Katarzyna GRZYBOWSKA and Natalia PARTYKA (Poland).