The quarter-final matches of the tenth Duesseldorf Masters concluded without upsets. In the semi-finals on Sunday at 10 a.m. the tournament favourites Omar ASSAR (Egypt) and Benedikt DUDA (Bergneustadt) will now meet Tobias HIPPLER (Cologne) and Steffen MENGEL (Muelhausen). The semi-final matches and the final (1 p.m.) will be broadcast via live streaming on Sportdeutschland.TV Borussia-TV and on tischtennis.de.
With his entry into the semi-finals the world number 38 Omar ASSAR finally conquered his place as one of the five best players on points in the eight-man field of the Masters finals which will be held next week on Friday and Sunday at the ARAG CenterCourt. The multiple African champion had a tough nut to crack however and in a top-class match kept Mainz talent Cedric MEISSNER at bay in only six contested games.
Omar ASSAR praised his opponent: “Cedric played much better today than he did last time. The guys from the German U23 squad are in a good mood right now. I hope I can improve again in the semi-finals tomorrow.”
ASSAR’S opponent in the fight for entry into the final will be Tobias HIPPLER on Sunday at 10.45 am. In a left-handed duel against Fanbo Meng (Fulda) who is two years younger the 21-year-old Cologne second-division player secured his second place in a Masters semi-final with a 4-1 victory.
Tobias HIPPLER: “Fanbo and I have known each other for ages. That’s why it’s always a special game: He knows where I’m playing and vice versa. I played very well was very concentrated and made few mistakes. And of course I’m glad that it didn’t get any tighter.”
Benedikt DUDA is flirting with his second title win at the Masters. The winner of the sixth tournament had no trouble in any of the four sets today with surprise quarter-finalist Michael SERVATY (Buschhausen) who beat Kirill FADEEV (Dortmund) yesterday.
Benedikt DUDA said after the match: “Michi and I know each other from our youth and have often played against each other. I think he won against me more often than I won against him. It was a good game. He surprised me more often but it was a solid performance from me.”
The number 39 of the world will face Steffen MENGEL in the first semi-final on Sunday at 10 a.m. who beat Gerrit ENGEMANN (Hamm) in six worth seeing sets today. The duel which ended 4-2 for DUDA a week ago should again be a high-class and exciting affair. The two friends wore the Bergneustadt jersey together for several years and know each other inside out.
Mengel was satisfied with his performance: “Gerrit played very well. At the beginning I had him pretty much in control of the game. Afterwards I became a bit more passive and he made good use of that. The last two sets I played more actively again and now I’m of course very happy that I won.”
Düsseldorf Masters 10th tournament (14-16 August)
Final August 16
1 p.m.
Semifinal August 16
Benedikt Duda GER – Steffen Mengel GER 10 o’clock
Omar Assar EGY – Tobias Hippler GER directly after but not before 10.45 a.m.
Quarterfinal August 15
Omar Assar EGY – Cedric Meissner GER 4:2 (8 -8 6 -11 8 8)
Tobias Hippler GER – Fanbo Meng GER 4:1 (11 9 -7 6 8)
Steffen Mengel GER – Gerrit Engemann GER 4:2 (3 10 -8 -7 6 6)
Benedikt Duda GER – Michael Servaty GER 4:0 (6 6 9 8)
