Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany the no.8 seed accounted for Hong Kong’s Tang Peng the no.14 seed in five games (11-9 11-5 13-15 14-12 11-6) to reserve his place in the quarter-finals of the Seamaster Qatar 2016 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Doha. He is the only European representative left in the game in the Men’s Singles Event. Han Ying of Germany will play tomorrow in the semifinal of the Women’s Singles Event.
“I’m very satisfied with how I played today; my focus today was better than in recent matches I think I was a step above my recent matches but still some way below my best. Certainly I felt confident against TANG Peng I have a good record against him and maybe he doesn’t feel too confident playing me. Now it’s Fan Zhendong I’ve not played against him a great deal but I practised with him for over an hour this morning” said Dimitrij OVTCHAROV.
FAN Zhendong the no.2 seed accounted for Japan’s Koki NIWA the no.15 seed (11-6 11-7 11-7 9-11 11-4) and XU Xin the no.3 seed defeated Chinese Taipei’s CHEN Chien-An the no.11 seed (11-8 11-11 11-6 11-8). CHUANG Chih-Yuan the no.5 seed beat Japan’s Yuya OSHIMA the no.13 seed in six games (11-8 11-7 10-12 4-11 11-4 11-9).
In the Men’s Doubles event Russia’s Alexei LIVENTSOV and Mikhail PAIKOV beat Belgium’s Robin DEVOS and Cédric NUYTINCK (11-7 11-7 11-4 11-9) to reach semifinal. Japan’s Masataka MORIZONO and Yuya OSHIMA overcame the French pairing of Antoine HACHARD and Romain RUIZ (11-6 11-6 11-6 11-8).
In the Women’s Doubles event Yui HAMAMOTO and Hina HAYATA overcame Russia’s Maria DOLGIKH and Polina MIKHAILOVA in five games (11-7 9-11 11-9 11-7 11-7) in the quarterfinal.
