By N.D. Prashant

Action from the Qatar Open Table Tennis Championships yesterday

China’s Xu Xin created the biggest upset of the Qatar Open Table Tennis Championships when he knocked out compatriot and hot favourite Ma Long 4-3 (12-10, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6, 4-11, 11-6, 11-8) in an absorbing contest at the Qatar Sports Club yesterday. 
Second seed Long came into the tournament having bagged the title at the Kuwait Open last week. He had defeated Olympic champion Ma Lin and World No 1 Wang Hao en route to that triumph and much was expected of him here.
However, Xin, who is ranked 71 in the ITTF men’s ranking, was in sublime form and never allowed World No 3 Long to settle. Xin playing with the tradition penhold grip first stretched Long into the seventh game and then packed the decisive punch.
Xin took an 8-7 lead in the decider and then pilled up the pressure on Long by going 10-8 up following a timeout. With his back to the wall, Long had to hold his serve but he faltered and handed Xin a memorable win.
There were no hiccups for Beijing Olympics gold medallist and the Qatar Open defending champion Ma Lin. He celebrated his 29th birthday in style by storming into the round of 16 without much of a sweat.
Lin won over Sourav Chakraborty of India and Slovenian Bojan Tokic in straight games 4-0 in the round of 62 and 32, respectively. Lin had won the 2007 and 2008 edition of the tournament here and is now in line for a hat-trick.
“I won’t say I’m playing by best but I’m pleased with the victories today. I’m not thinking about the hat-trick as of now, I just want to concentrate on doing well,” said Lin, who is not keen to celebrate is birthday before the completion of the tournament.
“Birthday bash can wait. I have crucial matches coming up tomorrow and need to be fully focused towards it. So maybe I will plan something later.”
Lin had lost in the semifinals to compatriot Long at the Kuwait Open but asserted that the loss has not dented his confidence coming into the tournament. “I had lost to my fellow countryman so that’s not at all a worry. These things happen and I have already put it behind. I’m focused on the challenge here,” revealed Lin, who won the title last year beating compatriot and World No 1 Wang Hao.
In the women’s action, Yao Yan of China was taken to the distance by 15-yr-old Kasumi Ishikawa of Japan. The former, however, prevailed in the absorbing contest 4-3 (6-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-13, 11-9). However, other Chinese in the fray - Zhang Yining, Guo Yue, Liu Shiwen, Guo Yan and Ding Ning made it easy to the round of 32.
RESULTS
Men’s round of 32:
Ma Lin (CHN) bt Tokic Bojan (SVN) 4-0 (11-4,11-3,11-5,12-10); Ko Lai Chak (HKG) bt Yoshida Kaii (JPN) 2-4 (11-8,8-11,9-11,7-11,11-9,7-11); Yoon Jae Young (KOR) bt Chen Weixing (AUT) 3-4 (11-3,11-7,9-11,10-12,3-11,11-6,9-11); Chuang Chih-Yuan (TPE) bt Jean-Michel Saive (BEL) 0-4 (9-11,5-11,8-11,3-11); CHEN Qi (CHN) bt Korbel Petr (CZE) 4-0 (11-9,11-9,11-8,11-6); Joo Se Hyuk (KOR) bt Patrick Baum (GER) 2-4 (11-9,11-7,5-11,4-11,10-12,7-11); Primorac Zoran (HRV) bt Cheung Yuk (HKG) 3-4 (11-8,11-9,10-12,11-8,9-11,4-11,9-11); Wang Liqin (CHN) bt Kuzmin Fedor (RUS) 0-4 (5-11,9-11,14-16,5-11); Timo Boll (GER) bt Zoltan Fejer-Konnerth (GER) 4-3 (16-18,13-11,6-11,8-11,11-7,11-7,11-9); Jun Mizutani (JPN) bt Jorgen Persson (SWE) 4-0 (11-5,11-8,11-9,11-9); Tang Peng (HKG) bt Filus Ruwen (GER) 3-4(11-8,13-11,6-11,8-11,8-11,11-9,6-11); Ryu Seung Min (KOR) bt Mihai Bobocica (ITA) 0-4 (9-11,9-11,6-11,8-11); Hao Shuai (CHN) bt Wang Zeng Yi (POL) 4-0 (11-6,11-5,11-3,11-4); Li Ching (HKG) bt Kenta Matsudaira (JPN) 1-4 (11-6,5-11,4-11,6-11,8-11); Joao Monteiro (POR) bt Janos Jakab (HUN) 2-4 (12-10,12-10,5-11,5-11,2-11,9-11); Xu Xin (CHN) bt Ma Long (CHN) 4-3 (10-12,11-9,6-11,6-11,11-4,11-6,11-8)
Women’s round of 32:
Zhang Yining (CHN) bt Mouma Das (IND) 4-0 (11-1,11-3,11-6,11-5); Wenling Tan Monfardini (ITA) bt Haruna Fukuoka (JPN) 4-2 (7-11,11-7,11-8,11-13,11-5,11-9); Yao Yan (CHN) bt Ishikawa Kasumi (JPN) 4-3 (6-11,11-6,5-11,11-8,12-10,11-13,11-9); Seok Ha Jung (KOR) bt Li Jiao (NED) 4-1 (11-7,11-8,8-11,11-9,13-11); Hiura Reiko (JPN) bt Jiang Huajun (HKG) 2-4 (11-6,10-12,11-9,9-11,4-11,3-11); Tasei (Takahashi) Mikie (JPN) bt Tamara Boros (HRV) 4-3 (11-9,5-11,11-9,8-11,11-6,1-11,11-9); Liu Shiwen (CHN) bt Fujii Hiroko (JPN) 4-1(12-10,8-11,11-7,11-9,11-9); Guo Yan (CHN) bt Wakamiya Misako (JPN) 0-4 (4-11,8-11,4-11,6-11); Tie Yana (HKG) bt Lee Eun Hee (KOR) 4-2 (7-11,12-10,11-5,11-6,6-11,11-4); Park Mi Young (KOR) bt Ishigaki Yuka (JPN) 2-4 (2-11,11-7,7-11,11-7,10-12,8-11); Ding Ning (CHN) bt Elke Schall (GER) 4-0 (11-9,11-2,11-2,11-2); Seo Hyo Won (KOR) bt Fukuhara Ai (JPN) 4-3 (10-12,11-8,12-10,11-13,13-15,11-8,13-11); LIN Ling (HKG) bt Ko So Mi (KOR) 4-2 (11-4,9-11,11-8,11-7,9-11,11-5); Krisztina Toth (HUN) bt Choi Moon Young (KOR) 1-4 (9-11,7-11,10-12,11-9,6-11); Hirano Sayaka (JPN) bt Laura Negrisoli (ITA) 4-2 (11-2,11-3,11-9,7-11,11-13,11-6); Guo Yue (CHN) bt Yu Kwok See (HKG) 0-4 (5-11,6-11,7-11,5-11).