Belgiumโs Jean-Michel SAIVE and Austriaโs CHEN Weixing proved they are still in shape to produce great victories. At the GAC Group 2014 ITTF World Tour Qatar Open in the Round of 64 both recorded dramatic full distance seven game victories. Jean-Michel SA,
Belgiumโs Jean-Michel SAIVE and Austriaโs CHEN Weixing proved they are still in shape to produce great victories. At the GAC Group 2014 ITTF World Tour Qatar Open in the Round of 64 both recorded dramatic full distance seven game victories.
Jean-Michel SAIVE, 44,, beat Russiaโs Alexander SHIBAEV, the no.24 seed (9-11, 17-15, 12-10, 5-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7), moments after CHEN Weixing, 41 years old had performed the recovery of the year. He overcame Portugalโs Marcos FREITAS, the no.9 seed (11-9, 7-11, 8-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-5, 11-9).
Alexey SMIRNOV, the no.27 seed, was beaten by Swedenโs Pรคr GERELL (9-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6). JEONG Sangeun accounted for Denmarkโs Michael MAZE, the no.17 seed (11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10) but KIM Minseok, the no.18 seed was beaten by Turkeyโs Ahmed LI (11-7, 5-11, 11-9, 12-10, 6-11, 11-8).
Jonathan GROTH defeated Singaporeโs LI Hu, the no.29 seed (11-8, 13-11, 11-7, 11-8) and Jens LUNDQUIST overcame Zhou Yu in six games (9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9) to reverse the margin of defeat he had experienced on home soil in Stockholm. JIANG Tianyi, the no.21 seed, was beaten by Emmanuel LEBESSON (11-3, 13-11, 11-7, 11-1), whilst Ricardo WALTHER overcome Liam PITCHFORD; the German won in six games (12-10, 11-5, 6-11, 11-7, 3-11, 13-11).
For the leading names in action it was success. Chinaโs MA Long, the top seed, beat Japanโs Kenji MATSUDAIRA (11-5, 12-10, 11-7, 11-5), whilst Germanyโs Dimitrij OVTCHAROV overcame a spirited effort from Brazilโs 17 year old Hugo CALDERANO; the no.4 seed needed six games to secure victory (12-10, 7-11, 11-5, 11-2, 9-11, 11-8). CHUANG Chih-Yuan overcame Spainโs Marc DURAN (11-3, 11-3, 11-9, 11-8), Vladimir SAMSONOV defeated Japanโs Takuya JIN (11-6, 11-8, 11-2, 11-8).
Katerina PENKAVOVA of the Czech Republic; raised her play to unprecedented standards, she caused the biggest sensation of the whole tournament to date and dampened Japanese joy. She overcame Kasumi ISHIKAWA, the no.2 seed in a thrilling seven games encounter (11-7, 11-3, 4-11, 10-12, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7). Viktoria PAVLOVICH accounted for Singaporeโs ZHOU Yihan (11-6, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 11-3),
