2019 ITTF World Tour Swedish Open in Stockholm
The opening day at the 2019 ITTF World Tour Swedish Open in Stockholm October 1st saw several upsets but two biggest have been seen in Men’s Singles Preliminary Round 2 both after full seven games: Frenchman Mehdi BOULOUSSA beat Jonathan GROTH 4:3 (14:12 18:16 11:7 3:11 8:11 6:11 11:8) while Romania’s Alexandru CAZACU prevailed against Portugal’s Marcos FREITAS 4:3 (11:9 13:11 5:11 11:3 11:9 9:11 11:6).
Host rising star Truls MOREGARD was beaten by Serbia’s veteran Aleksandar KARAKASEVIC in five games. The 12-year-old Sora MATSUSHIMA of Japan the winner of the mini-cadet boys’ singles event at the 2019 ITTF Junior Circuit Swedish Junior & Cadet Open held in February recorded his very first ITTF World Tour win after beating Russia’s Lev KATSMAN in five games but he lost to Austria’s Andreas LEVENKO in the next stage.
Women’s Singles event also had some unexpected outcomes. The 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 winner Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS suffered at the hands of Monaco’s YANG Xiaoxin after six games. China’s QIAN Tianyi the reigning world junior champion prevailed against actual individual European champion Poland’s LI Qian in six games in her opening game. In the Preliminary Round 2 she defeated Russia’s Valeria SHCHERBATYKH.
Second day of the tournament October 2nd is reserved for Preliminary Round 3 and 4 in the Men’s Singles events Preliminary Round 3 in the Women’s Singles Preliinary Round 2 in both doubles events and Round 1 and 2 in Mixed pairs.
