9/20/2009        2009 LIEBHERR European Table Tennis Championships

Denmark’s Michael Maze and Germany’s Wu Jiaduo won the respective Men’s and Women’s Singles titles at the Liebherr European Championships in Stuttgart on Sunday 20th September 2009; results that brought both an element of disappointment and an ingredient of delight to the home fans

The disappointment was that at the penultimate stage, Michael Maze overcame the defending champion, Germany’s Timo Boll; the delight, of course, was that the Wu Jiaduo, who served a long apprenticeship before gaining nationality and a place in the national team, clinched the Women’s Singles crown.

Conjecture
Much of the talk before the competition started was as whether it would be a Men’s Singles final involving a repeat of the previous European Championships when Timo Boll and Vladimir Samsonov had faced each other, both three time winners of the title and seeking to create a record by winning a fourth.

It was not to be.

Unbeaten
Michael Maze, unbeaten in the Men’s Team event, had his eyes set on singles gold; the man with sublime talent was focused.

In the past he has displayed the promise but never really delivered, in Stuttgart the promise was always there, the delivery was clinical.

Score Lines
Maze staved off a Timo Boll recovery in the semi-finals to win in seven games 11-6, 13-11, 11-5, 6-11, 8-11, 7-11, 11-5 before overcoming Werner Schlager in one game less.

He accounted for Schlager by the margin of 11-8, 11-8, 12-10, 6-11, 11-7; the Austrian having beaten Russia’s Fedor Kuzmin in the semi-finals in five games (11-4, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 18-16).

German Gold
A reverse for Germany but in the Women’s Singles event it was gold; Wu Jiaduo delivered the goods.

In the final she overcame Ukraine’s Margaryta Pesotska, the young lady who in 2005 won the Girls’ Singles title at the ITTF Cadet Challenge in the Dominican Republic and in Stuttgart had caused shock after shock.

Exit Defending Champion
At the semi-final stage she overcame Lithuania’s Ruta Paskauskeine, the defending champion, before eventually experiencing defeat against the very determined and resolute Wu Jiaduo.

Margaryta Pestoska beat Ruta Pakauskeine 13-11, 3-11, 11-9, 11-3, 14-16, 11-9 before suffering in the final against Wu Jiaduo, who had booked her place in the gold medal round by beating Viktoria Pavlovich of Belarus.

Wu Jiaduo defeated Viktoria Pavlovich 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-2, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6 before accounting for Margaryta Pesotska 11-8, 11-5, 11-9, 11-5.

Women’s Doubles
Success for Germany in the Women’s Singles event; whilst, in the Women’s Doubles, it was victory for Romania.

Daniela Dodean and Elizabeta Samara clinched the top prize; they beat Italy’s Nikoleta Stefanova and Wenling Tan Monfardini in four straight games at the final hurdle.

The Romanians won 11-7, 11-7, 13-11, 11-4.

Wu Jiaduo crowned Women's Singles champion at the Liebherr European Championships in Stuttgart