Difficult draw for European hopefuls UNUS ALLADIN - December 18,1997 Belarus powerhouse Vladimir Samsonov and Swedish great Jan-Ove Waldner have been handed difficult first-round assignments after the draw for Hong Kong's International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Pro-Tour Grand Finals, which was made yesterday. Second-seeded Samsonov, this year's runner-up at the World Championships in Manchester and Waldner, the two-time reigning world champion, say they are not looking forward to their opening matches at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium.   The Belarus giant was drawn against China's Ma Lin and Waldner was handed a tricky first-round encounter against another talented Chinese, Yan Sen.   "I beat Ma at the World Championships but I lost to him 3-0 in the quarter-finals of this year's China Open. It's not a good draw. Maybe I'll have enough time to do more shopping this time around," said Samsonov.   Waldner echoed Samsonov's sentiments, saying first-round matches were never easy and that he expected Yan, who gave the Swede a fright in the semi-finals of this year's World Championships, to mount a serious challenge.   "I remember I had a hard game against Yan in Manchester and I expect him to give me a hard time again," said the 32-year-old Waldner.   The women's singles is an open affair, especially with world and Olympic champion Deng Yaping of China missing from the tournament.   Deng is studying languages at the Qing Hua University in Beijing and failed to qualify for the Grand Finals. Her absence has left Li Ju and Wang Nan to fly the flag for China.