Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov in action at the GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour Qatar Open yesterday at Qatar Women Sports Committee Hall. PICTURES: Jayaram
By Sports Reporter/Doha
Top seeds in the men’s and women’s section, Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Singapore’s Feng Tianwei, entered the semi-finals of the GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour Qatar Open yesterday.
At the Qatar Women Sports Committee Hall, Ovtcharov needed full seven games to overcome Jung Youngsik of Korea 11-8, 5-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-2 in the quarter-finals. In the morning’s pre-quarter-final the 26-year-old German had easily beaten Croatia’s Andrej Gacina, the no.10 seed, 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 11-2.
Ovtcharov will next face Portugal’s Marcos Freitas, the no.3 seed and World ranked no.10. Freitas had an easier quarter-final match as he downed Daniel Habesohn of Austria 9-11, 5-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 9-11. Earlier, Freitas had ended crowd favourite Qatar’s Li Ping hopes, defeating the no.16 seed in a hard-fought six games 7-11, 11-2, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7.
The fourth seed Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus also sealed his spot in the last four, after he defeated Joao Monteiro of Portugal. After losing the first game, Samsonov bounced back to win four on the trot 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-9, 11-8. Samsonov will next face Robert Gardos of Austria or Chih-Yuan Chuang, with the two locked in a late-night battle for the last remaining semi-final spot.
In the morning session, no. 7 seed Korea’s Cho Eonrae and Hong Kong’s Tang Peng, the no.5 seed, were shown the door. Unseeded Habesohn accounted for Eonrae 11-4, 14-12, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 11-5, while the no.11 seed Gardos followed suit by ousting Hong Kong’s Tang Peng 11-9, 11-6, 11-9, 1-11, 10-12, 11-7.
Meanwhile, women’s favourite Tianwei brushed aside the challenge of Li Xue of France 14-12, 11-9, 11-13, 11-7, 11-7 and move a step closer to the title in Doha, which has eluded her in the last two years. However, Tianwei had to survive a scare in the morning when she needed seven games to overcome Korea’s Jeon Jihee, the no.12 seed 6-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6, 13-11, 9-11, 11-6.
Tianwei’s next opponent is Germany’s Han Ying, who beat Huajun Jiang of Hong Kong 3-11, 6-11, 1-11, 11-8, 4-11. Ying too had difficulty in the pre-quarters against Yang Xiaoxin of Monaco. Xiaoxin won the first three games and led 8-4 in the fourth, before she choked as Ying capitalised to win 4-11, 5-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-5, 11-9.
The other semi pits Korea’s no.10 seed Yang Haeun against 7th seed Samara Elizabeta of Romaina. Haeun, who had shocked fourth seeded Liu Jia of Austria, beat Ukraine’s Tetyana Bilenko in the last eight 4-11, 11-5, 7-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8. While Elizabeta put out Germany’s Wu Jiaduo 14-12, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-9.
The no.13 seed Jiaduo had earlier in the morning created biggest upset in the tournament, when she had shocked Korea’s Seo Hyowon, the no.2 seed, 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8.
