ENGEMANN put JHA under pressure

Duesseldorf Masters III

All four top seeds reached the semi-finals of the third tournament of the Duesseldorf Masters. The matches of the preliminary round (starting at 10 am) with the duels between Germany’s stars Dimitrij OVTCHAROV and Dang QIU as well as Kanak JHA (USA) and the Egyptian Omar ASSAR will be streamed live on Wednesday as well as the final (2 pm) on Sportdeutschland.TV Borussia-TV and on tischtennis.de.

 

One week after his success over the world rankings no. 76 Alberto MINO (Ecuador) Gerrit ENGEMANN (TTC GW Bad Hamm) once again put himself in the limelight. Although the runner-up of the 2019 European Under-21 Championship was defeated by the 27th ranked Kanak JHA in six games the second-placed American had to use all his skills in the tight game to prevent the 20-year-old Westphalian from winning the decisive game by 13-11 in the sixth game.

 

In the end JHA was happy to have saved the win back home: “It was a very close match. I think every game was fought until the end. I hope that I will play better tomorrow than I did today.”

 

Omar ASSAR kept 19 years old Cedric MEISSNER on 4-1 distance in the quarter finals. Although the Egyptian had to accept the game equalization against the former German Youth Champion and Youth Olympic participant he mastered the following rounds despite a good performance of the player from Mainz. On Wednesday the number 38 in the world will play against Kanak JHA for a place in the final (2 pm). The first of the two semi-final duels starts at 10 am.

 

The world number eleven Dimitrij OVTCHAROV played four sovereign games against Tobias HIPPLER and did not really let the 21-year-old newcomer of the 1st FC Köln into the game. In the second semi-final on Wednesday however the 2017 World Cup winner will have to stretch himself more. His opponent will be his national team colleague Dang QIU. The winner of the Portugal Open defeated OVTCHAROV in the quarter-finals of the first Masters but the Swabian lost the final at the second tournament a week ago without having a chance.

 

Dang QIU had to play over six games in the top eight today unlike his opponent tomorrow after Fanbo MENG reduced his lead to 2-3 after losing the first three games in a row to the world number 52nd. The 19-year-old talent like ENGEMANN against ASSAR made a remarkable showing but QIU didn’t let the left-hander from Fulda come near the deciding game after the tie for a 3-2 draw.

 

The favorite didn’t feel as fresh today as usual: “I must say I’m a little tired. I am now playing the third tournament in a row. But it will be similar for everyone. I started very well with a 3-0 lead. Then FANBO stepped up so I had to step on the gas again to get this thing home.”

 

The Duesseldorf Masters organized by Borussia Duesseldorf with the support of the German Table Tennis Federation is held almost weekly from June to August at the ARAG CenterCourt in a knockout system with up to 16 participants. The series concludes with a final tournament with eight professionals for which five athletes qualify by scoring points and three receive a wildcard. All matches will be broadcast live with several cameras on sportdeutschland.tv Borussia TV and tischtennis.de. Spectators on site are not allowed due to the Corona pandemic.

 

QUOTES

Dimitrij Ovtcharov: “I think that Hippi has kept up with me right up to the middle of each movement. In the end I still put a shovel on it. I actually felt good but against Hippi it is always difficult to develop a rhythm because he has an unpleasant game. So I’m happy with the game.”

 

Dang Qiu: “I must say I’m a little tired. I am now playing the third tournament in a row. But it will be similar for everyone. I started very well with a 3-0 lead. Then Fanbo improved so much that I had to step on the gas again to bring this thing home.”

 

Kanak Jha: “It was a very close match. I think every game was fought until the end and most of them ended with only two points difference. I hope I’ll play better tomorrow than I did today.”

 

Omar Assar: “Cedric Meissner is a very strong player. But I am also very happy about my game and my performance. Let’s see what is possible tomorrow in the semi-finals. I wish Cedric and all the other young German players lots of fun at the next tournaments.”

 

 

Duesseldorf Masters 3. tournament (15.-17. June)

Semi Finals June 17 (in chronological order)

Kanak Jha USA – Omar Assar EGY 10am

Dimitrij Ovtcharov – Dang Qiu immediately afterwards but not before 11 a.m.

 

Quarter Finals June 16

Dimitrij Ovtcharov – Tobias Hippler 4:0 (7 8 8 8)

Dang Qiu – Fanbo Meng 4:2 (4 6 4 -9 -8 7)

Omar Assar EGY – Cedric Meissnerr 4:1 (5 -10 6 7 2)

Kanak Jha USA – Gerrit Engemann 4:2 (12 9 -8 9 -8 11)

 

Best 16 June 15

No match: Dimitrij Ovtcharov

Tobias Hippler – Kirill Fadeev 4:1 (7 5 8 -6 8)

Fanbo Meng – Tobias Slanina 4:0 (6 3 7 10)

Dang Qiu – André Bertelsmeier 4:0 (8 5 7 8)

Omar Assar EGY – An Duy Dang 4:0 (3 5 6 3)

Nils Hohmeier – Gerrit Engemann 0:4 (-4 -5 -8 -5)

No match: Kanak Jha USA

 

Related News

Moldova Hosts Successful Seminar on Training Young Table Tennis Talents

As part of the European Table Tennis Union’s (ETTU) National Association Assistance Program (NAAP), a practical-methodical seminar titled “The Process of Training Young Players – The Road to the Olympics”...

Read more

2025 Champions League Final 4 Saarbrücken: Book the tickets now

This year, 4,500 spectators in Saarlandhalle Saarbrücken contributed to the resounding success of the first-ever Champions League Final 4. The event returns next year, promising another thrilling experience for players...

Read more

33rd Finlandia Open – Everything You Need to Know

The traditional Finlandia Open returns this year, welcoming over 160 players from 27 countries to the enchanting home of Father Christmas. Hosted at the Kisakallio Sports Institute, just an hour’s...

Read more

ETTU Announces Key Updates and Initiatives

The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) has unveiled significant updates following decisions made at the 2024 Congress. From ranking system changes to new hosting opportunities and support for female coaches,...

Read more

Contact

About Us

Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions

The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) is the governing body of the sport of table tennis in Europe, and is the only authority recognized for this purpose by the International Table Tennis Federation. The ETTU deals with all matters relating to table tennis at a European level, including the development and promotion of the sport in the territories controlled by its 58 member associations, and the organization of continental table tennis competitions, including the European Championships.

Powered By

All Competitions

Senior Competitions

Club Competitions

Youth Competitions

More Competitions