Highlights of the day……….

Champions depart

Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chih-Yuan, the men’s singles winner in 2016 experienced defeat at the hands of Frenchman Alexandre Cassin (4-11, 8-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-9, 7-11) in what was the biggest upset of the day. Presently, Alexandre Cassin, winner of the junior boys’ singles title at the European Youth Championships in both 2014 and 2016, is listed at no.206 on the men’s world rankings. Chuang Chih-Yuan appears at no.33.

A surprise defeat for Chuang Chih-Yuan, for Liu Jia, the women’s singles winner in 2014, there were no belated birthday presents. Listed at no.106 on the current rankings, she was beaten by Luxembourg’s Ni Xia Lian, named at no.46 (11-8, 12-10, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9).

On Sunday 16th February, Liu Jia celebrated her 38th birthday.

The unexpected, expected

According to ranking, India’s Manika Batra, Germany’s Shan Xiaona, Japan’s Miyu Nagasaki and Spain’s Liu Xin were the surprise names to book main draw places in the women’s singles event.

In reality they were not; all have major successes to their credit. Manika Batra guided India to gold in the women’s team event at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games before securing the women’s singles title. On the ITTF World Tour in 2014 Shan Xiaona was crowned the women’s singles champion in Germany, Liu Xin when representing China, in Brazil.

Miyu Nagasaki is the reigning Asian and World junior champion.

Seizing the opportunity

In the men’s singles event, Japan’s Shunsuke Togami, Poland’s Jakub Dyjas, Germany’s Qiu Dang and Lam Siu Hang made most of the opportunity afforded.

Shunsuke Togami beat Belgium’s Martin Allegro (11-7, 11-8, 11-7, 11-3), the winner earlier in the day against Romania’s Rares Sipos (13-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-6, 12-14, 11-9), successful in the second preliminary when opposing Croatia’s Tomislav Pucar (12-10, 15-13, 7-11, 14-12, 13-11), at no.32, the highest ranked player on qualification duty.

Likewise, Poland’s Jakub Dyjas overcame India’s Harmeet Desai (11-8, 7-11, 11-5, 11-4, 13-11), the winner in the previous round against Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chien-An (11-9, 2-11, 5-11, 4-11, 14-12, 11-9, 13-11), at no.55 on the rankings, a player predicted to qualify.

It was no different for Qiu Dang, the winner at the recent ITTF Challenge Polish Open. He beat Frenchman, Bastian Rembert (9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-9) the victor one round earlier when confronting Japan’s Masataka Morizono (14-12, 11-8, 11-5, 8-11, 10-12, 8-11, 11-8), at no.43 on the rankings expected to progress. One round later he caused yet another upset, he ousted Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia (11-9, 11-8, 11-8, 11-3). On the current world rankings, Tiago Apolonia is at no.58, Qiu Dang at no.77.

Not to be outdone, Lam Siu Hang accounted for Austria Stefan Fegerl (7-11, 13-15, 9-11, 13-15, 8-11, 11-7, 11-1), the winner in the immediate prior round against India’s Sharath Kamal Achanta (11-9, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 11-6), at no.34on the rankings, the second highest rated on qualification duty.

Test of stamina

Russia’s Alexander Shibaev emerged the player with the greatest level of stamina. In the third preliminary round, he recovered from a three games to nil deficit to beat Slovenia’s Deni Kozul by the very narrowest of margins (4-11, 6-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7, 13-11), before in the crucial determining round prevailing against Belgium’s Cédric Nuytinck in an even closer contest (10-12, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 4-11, 7-11, 17-15).

The win against Cédric Nuytinck was an upset. Listed at no.47 on the world rankings, the Belgium was the player predicted to progress; currently Alexander Shibaev is named at no.93.

A notable upset in the final preliminary round; it was the same for Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan. Listed at no.61 on the present day rankings, he beat Sweden’s Jon Persson, named at no.53 (15-13, 11-7, 3-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-8) and expected to progress to reserve his main draw place.

Seconds out, round two

On Sunday 8th February, Iran’s Nima Alamian and Noshad Alamiyan won the men’s doubles title at the 2020 ITTF Challenge Portugal Open in Lisbon; in Budapest, they were beaten in the second preliminary round. They lost to Romania’s Cristian Pletea and Rares Sipos (13-11, 11-7, 5-11, 1-11, 11-7).

Defeat for Nima Alamian and Noshad Alamiyan, the second highest rated pair on duty, it was the same in the women’s doubles; the French pairing of Stéphanie Loeuillette and Audrey Zarif lost to Germany’s Chantal Mantz and Wan Yuan (11-7, 11-7, 11-4).

India’s Sharath Kamal Achanta and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, the leading pair on qualification men’s doubles duty booked their main draw place as did Romania’s Irina Ciobanu and Elizabeta Samara in the women’s doubles. Similarly, in the mixed doubles there was progress for the top pair, Serbia’s Aleksandar Karakasevic and Izabela Lupulesku.