SAIVE and CHEN still play on highest level

February 20, 2014
12:00 am
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Belgium’s Jean-Michel SAIVE and Austria’s CHEN Weixing proved they are still in shape to produce great victories. At the GAC Group 2014 ITTF World Tour Qatar Open in the Round of 64 both recorded dramatic full distance seven game victories. Jean-Michel SA,

Jean-Michel SAIVE, 44,, beat Russia’s Alexander SHIBAEV, the no.24 seed (9-11, 17-15, 12-10, 5-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7), moments after CHEN Weixing, 41 years old had performed the recovery of the year. He overcame Portugal’s Marcos FREITAS, the no.9 seed (11-9, 7-11, 8-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-5, 11-9).

Alexey SMIRNOV, the no.27 seed, was beaten by Sweden’s Pär GERELL (9-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6). JEONG Sangeun accounted for Denmark’s Michael MAZE, the no.17 seed (11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10) but KIM Minseok, the no.18 seed was beaten by Turkey’s Ahmed LI (11-7, 5-11, 11-9, 12-10, 6-11, 11-8).

Jonathan GROTH defeated Singapore’s LI Hu, the no.29 seed (11-8, 13-11, 11-7, 11-8) and Jens LUNDQUIST overcame Zhou Yu in six games (9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9) to reverse the margin of defeat he had experienced on home soil in Stockholm. JIANG Tianyi, the no.21 seed, was beaten by Emmanuel LEBESSON (11-3, 13-11, 11-7, 11-1), whilst Ricardo WALTHER overcome Liam PITCHFORD; the German won in six games (12-10, 11-5, 6-11, 11-7, 3-11, 13-11).

For the leading names in action it was success. China’s MA Long, the top seed, beat Japan’s Kenji MATSUDAIRA (11-5, 12-10, 11-7, 11-5), whilst Germany’s Dimitrij OVTCHAROV overcame a spirited effort from Brazil’s 17 year old Hugo CALDERANO; the no.4 seed needed six games to secure victory (12-10, 7-11, 11-5, 11-2, 9-11, 11-8). CHUANG Chih-Yuan overcame Spain’s Marc DURAN (11-3, 11-3, 11-9, 11-8), Vladimir SAMSONOV defeated Japan’s Takuya JIN (11-6, 11-8, 11-2, 11-8).

Katerina PENKAVOVA of the Czech Republic; raised her play to unprecedented standards, she caused the biggest sensation of the whole tournament to date and dampened Japanese joy. She overcame Kasumi ISHIKAWA, the no.2 seed in a thrilling seven games encounter (11-7, 11-3, 4-11, 10-12, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7). Viktoria PAVLOVICH accounted for Singapore’s ZHOU Yihan (11-6, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 11-3),

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