By Our Reporter
BOTH playing with smiles on their faces, Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo and Bode Abiodun celebrate their passage through to the Men’s Doubles Round of 32 at the ongoing World Table Tennis Championships Finals at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas on Wednesday.
Omotayo and Abiodun, world-ranked 159th as a pair, didn’t let their heads drop despite going behind early to India’s Amalraj Anthony and Harmeet Desai. In a match that went right down to the wire, Omotayo and Abiodun fought back from 3-6 down in the deciding game to beat the world number 139 combination in thrilling fashion (8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 5-11, 11-8).
In the Mixed doubles, Nigerian duo, Bode and Offiong Edem dug deep to record a 3-2 win in round one to keep their hopes alive in the Mixed doubles.
No problem for Fan in Houston
Fan Zhendong showed why he is the world’s best player as the Chinese easily dispatched Iran’s Amir Hodaei in straight games. Fan demonstrated his prowess early by taking the first two games 11-1, 11-1. He enjoyed another convincing 11-3 win over Amin in the third game before Amin put up a stiffer fight in the fourth game before bowing out 10-12.
Calderano suffers early scare but progresses
Brazil’s Hugo Calderano also passed his opening test with flying colours as he took down Portugal’s Joao Monteiro 4-1 (8-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-2, 11-6). After suffering an early scare where he lost the first game 8-11, the third seed regained control by winning the next four games to ensure his progress at the historic event which is hosted in the Americas for the first time.
Evergreen Boll prevails over Zhou
Timo Boll rolled back the years as he took down China’s Zhou Qihao 4-1 (11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 5-11, 12-10) to stamp his class over his 24-year-old opponent. The 41-year-old German raced to a 3-0 lead quickly before Zhou took a game off Boll in fourth game. Boll, however, used his experience to his advantage as he won the fifth game 12-10 to punch his ticket to the next round.
Harimoto crashes out
Hot favourite Tomokazu Harimoto crashed out at the first hurdle after with Poland’s Jakub Dyjas creating a sensational upset by eliminating the second seed Japanese in a tense seven-game thriller. Harimoto fired the early salvo by taking the first game 11-7. Dyjas fought back to level the score 1-1 after winning the second game. The advantage then swung between Harimoto and Dyjas in the next four games before Dyjas outplayed Harimoto in the decider 11-9 to win the match 4-3 (7-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9).
“I took my chances well against Harimoto. Mentally and tactically, it worked for me. So I’m really happy to have beaten one of the top seeds at this tournament. It’s a nice victory and I know I have to play even better in the next round to continue to do even better,” said Dyas.
Zhang negotiates tricky contest to extend her stay
The local crowd cheers again after seeing one of their own, Lily Zhang, overcome difficult circumstances to secure her ticket to the next round. Off to a positive start with a commendable game one display, Zhang then recovered a 1-7 deficit to steal the second game from Serbia’s Andrea Todorovic 13-11. A third consecutive game win followed for the American, but Todorovic hit back in game four before saving three match points to take game five. Despite her opponent’s firm response Zhang kept her cool and eventually crossed the finish line the happier of the two players (11-8, 13-11, 11-2, 7-11, 10-12, 11-7).
“That was a roller coaster of a match with lots of ups and downs. I was feeling pretty comfortable in the first three games, but clearly, she started picking up momentum, and I think I started rushing it too much. At 3-2, I just tried to tell myself to calm down and play it point by point,” said Lily Zhang
Giant shock as Niwa suffers early exit
Japan’s Koki Niwa is out of the Men’s Singles running in Houston following a shock Round of 64 defeat for the number 15 seed. A quarter-finalist at the 2019 World Championships in Budapest, Niwa was anticipated to go far at the George R. Brown Convention Center. However, Daniel Habesohn had other ideas with the Austrian outpunching Niwa across six dramatic games (11-8, 9-11, 5-11, 17-15, 11-9, 11-4).
Perfect start for Chen and Qian
Chen Meng and Qian Tianyi couldn’t have asked for a better start to life in the Women’s Doubles event after posting a commanding victory in the Round of 64. The Chinese partnership have grand ambitions in Houston, and they didn’t give opponents Tatiana Kukulkova and Natalia Grigelova an inch. Dominant from start to finish, Chen and Qian dispatched the Slovakians 3-0 (11-6, 11-3, 11-4) to send a strong statement to the rest of the field.
“This is our first time here at the World Championships. The playing field is very good, so I’m very happy to have fans here supporting us,” said Chen Meng.
Arguelles and Codina prevail against Latin American colleagues
Argentina’s Camila Arguelles and Ana Codina earnt the bragging rights in their meeting with Chile’s Paulina Vega and Daniela Ortega. The Latin American contest actually favoured Vega and Ortega at the start, with Arguelles and Codina taking a little time to settle, but once they were up to speed, there was no stopping them. Prevailing 3-1 (8-11, 11-7, 16-14, 11-5), Arguelles and Codina advance to the Round of 32.
Thai duo sail through in style
Suthasini Sawettabut and Orawan Paranang will take their place in the Women’s Doubles Round of 32 after the Thai pair cruised through the opening hurdle. Polish counterparts Natalia Partyka and Natalia Bajor struggled to find any weak spots in Sawettabut and Paranang’s approach, with the latter combination needing just three games to get the job done (11-6, 11-6, 11-4).
Home advantage holding good as Kumar and Zhang embrace occasion
The George R. Brown Convention Center is proving a popular venue with players hailing from the United States, with Nikhil Kumar and Kai Zhang the latest to benefit from home advantage. Placed 75th in the Men’s Doubles world rankings list, Kumar and Zhang tapped into the support from the local fans to edge a nail-bitingly close opening game. The early momentum ultimately kick-started what turned out to be a fine 3-0 victory for the US pair over Belarus’ Pavel Platonov and Aleksandr Khanin, world-ranked 53rd (15-13, 11-8, 11-8).
Franziska and Boll show how it’s done
The all-German combination of Patrick Franziska and Timo Boll enjoyed a positive opening to the Men’s Doubles draw, coming through the Round of 64 in convincing fashion. Racing through the first game, Boll and Franziska encountered a setback in game two as Slovakia’s Lubomir Pistej and Serbia’s Aleksandar Karakasevic looked to establish a foothold in the match. However, Pistej and Karakasevic couldn’t quite muster the recovery they were hoping for as Franziska and Boll came good 3-1 (11-7, 10-12, 11-5, 11-6).
SOURCE: ITTF WORLDS MEDIA
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