The Peninsula
Winner at the ITTF Challenge Series tournaments earlier this year in Portugal and Oman, Japan’s Hina Hayata yesterday experienced a third preliminary round women’s singles defeat at the hands of Korea Republic’s Yoo Eunchong.
The 25-year-old Korean won 5-11, 11-7, 12-14, 11-9, 13-11, 2-11, 12-10 on day two of the ITTF World Tour Platinum Qatar Open at Ali Bin Hamad Al Arena.
Notably, on the ITTF World Tour Yoo Eunchong has never advanced beyond to the later rounds; her best runner up in the under 21 women’s singles event in China in 2013. Also yesterday Korea Republic’s Kim Haeyeong, the winner the previous day in opposition to Romania’s Bernadette Szocs, the highest ranked player in the qualification tournament (8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8, 11-7, 5-11, 15-13) maintained her form. She beat Japan’s Satsuki Odo (11-9, 4-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7, 11-5).
Notably on the current world rankings, Kim Haeyeong is listed at no.127, Satsuki Odo at no.55. Timo Boll and Patrick Franziska showed their class in the men’s doubles preliminary round matches. Both of the unseeded German partnerships participating in qualification action have progressed to the Men’s Doubles tournament, albeit in somewhat contrasting fashion. Boll and Franziska came through their encounter against the French duo of Tristan Flore and Emmanuel Lebesson with a 3-1 victory (13-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-8).
However, for the other German pair of Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Ricardo Walther the task proved slight more difficult: trailing Austria’s Robert Gardos and Daniel Habesohn by a two games to one deficit Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Ricardo Walther required a late recovery charge, doing just about enough to book their spot in the Round of 16 (11-8, 4-11, 10-12, 12-10, 11-8).
In the Women’s Doubles Preliminary Round, Chinese Taipei partnerships progressed with ease. Liu Hsing-Yin and Su PeiLing got their qualification campaign off to a fine start in Doha after the pair from Chinese Taipei inflicted a stunning 3-2 defeat upon the fierce Romanian partnership of Elizabtea Samara and Bernadette Szocs (7-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6, 11-9).
For the other Chinese Taipei duo involved in the session the news was just as positive as Chen Szu-Yu and Cheng Hsien-Tzu holding off a late comeback attempt from Poland’s Natalia Bajor and Natalia Partyka (11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 6-11, 11-7). In the Men’s Singles Preliminary Round Three, some big names continued to fall. Tiago Apolonia and Panagiotis Gionis were sent packing from the Men’s Singles event after the Portuguese and Greek representatives lost out in their respective encounters with Chinese Taipei’s Liao ChengTing (11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7, 8-11, 4-11, 11-9) and Russia’s Kirill Skachkov (11-8, 11-6, 11-2, 11-6).
Austrian hopeful Stefan Fegerl also bid his farewells with a five games defeat to Frenchman Simon Gauzy (6-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7). One of the European continent’s finest players but there was no spot available in the Men’s Singles tournament for Sweden’s Kristian Karlsson following an unexpected defeat at the hands of Iran’s Nima Alamian (11-13, 11-4, 11-8, 6-11, 11-3, 4-11, 11-9). In the Men’s Singles Preliminary Round Three, India’s Sharath Kamal Achanta achieved one of the finest recoveries of the tournament so far to put his name into the final round of qualification: French opponent Antoine Hachard got off to a flying start in the match, establishing a surprise three games lead over the Indian player.
However, Achanta won the next four games in a row to advance in dramatic circumstances (9-11, 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5, 11-5). Meanwhile Wang Chuqin suffered elimination in the Men’s Singles Preliminary Round Three. Chuqin went out of the running for the Men’s Singles draw after the Chinese star was dealt a shock defeat by Tomislav Pucar (11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7). The Croatian set up an exciting duel with England’s Liam Pitchford, who moved one step closer to a place in the main event following a dramatic seven game encounter with Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan (11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 10-12, 13-11, 10-12, 11-8).