Werner SCHLAGER was cautious before the start of the Men’s Singles Event at the LIEBHERR World Championships, but today he blow away all the doubts. In the first round of the competition in main draw, Austrian overcame Pavel PLATONOV of Belarus in five ga,
Werner SCHLAGER was cautious before the start of the Men’s Singles Event at the LIEBHERR World Championships, but today he blow away all the doubts. In the first round of the competition in main draw, Austrian overcame Pavel PLATONOV of Belarus in five games.
“There is no doubt I am happy with my start here. However even on the warming session I felt I could win. I was in good mood on the right track not too much under tension and not too little. I was “tuned” right for the victory. In the opening set PLATONOV gave few hard moments. His game is very strange, you need time to adjust, cos every ball is different. I won by close margin that game, but in the next, he was in control. I let him win and prepared myself for the next. He started to struggle. I was under pressure in fifth game. I missed three or four easy balls, but it ended well.”
Tomorrow SCHLAGER will play against Patrick BAUM who overcame Sas LASAN of Slovenia. “He is better ranked player and odds are on his side, but I feel good and everything might happens. He never beat me before, anyway. My big problem is that he is playing with left hand. I do not have a chance to practice a lot with such players so I will need few points to tune my game and that might be dangerous.”
Top seeded XU Xin of China is safely through to the second round without losing the game against Steffen MENGEL of Germany. Four French players booked their place in tomorrow’s second round: Damien ELOI beat Liam PITCHFORD after great seven games battle. Emmanuel LEBESSON needed five to pass over Ahmed SALEH of Egypt, Adrien MATTENET also went full distance against Italian Niagol STOYANOV.
However the most precious was the victory of young Simon GAUZY over SEO Hyundeok of Korea. Korean player ranked at position no. 59 in the World suffered by the 110th player at the rankings in five games at table no. 1 in front of enthusiastic crowd. German table tennis “panzers “ are still strong led by Timo BOLL who hardly managed to warm up today against Admir DURANSPAHIC of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dimitrij OVTCHAROV also needed our games against Viacheslav BUROV of Russia. Among experienced forces of Europe Vladimir SAMSONOV of Belarus, Kalinikos KREANGA of Greece, Jean Michel SAIVE, CHEN Weixing….
