11/2/2008 2008 ERKE Austrian Open

Top seed Germany’s Timo Boll won the Men’s Singles title at the Erke Austrian Open in Salzburg on Sunday 2nd November 2008, whilst in the counterpart Women’s Singles event; it was success for Poland’s sixth seeded Li Qian.

Timo Boll beat second seed Chinese Taipei’s Chuan Chih-Yuan, whilst in five games, Li Qian overcame eighth seed Hungary’s Krisztina Toth.

Li Qian won 8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 whilst Timo Boll succeeded 11-7, 11-4, 11-8, 11-8.

 11/2/2008 2008 ERKE Austrian Open

The top two seeded players in the Men’s Singles event at the Erke Austrian Open in Salzburg recorded semi-final success on Sunday 2nd November 2008; the top seed winning without surrendering a single game, the second seed being stretched to the limit.

Germany’s Timo Boll, seeded no.1, beat compatriot Patrick Baum 11-7, 11-8, 11-7, 11-2, whilst Chuan Chih-Yuan, seeded no.2, overcame Poland’s Wang Zeng Yi 11-7, 1113, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-4.

 11/2/2008 2008 ERKE Austrian Open

Hungary’s Krisztina Toth and Poland’s Li Qian, two players with very contrasting styles, emerged successful in the semi-finals of the Women’s Singles event at the Erke Austrian Open in Salzburg on Sunday 2nd November 2008.

Krisztina Toth, a left handed attacking player with deft skills beat Japan’s Reiko Hiura in most impressive style, whilst the right handed defensive skills of Poland’s Li Qian saw her overcome a player of the same ilk in the guise of Li Jie from the Netherlands.

 11/1/2008 2008 ERKE Austrian Open

The fourth day of play, Saturday 1st November 2008, at the Erke Austrian Open in Salzburg ended in sheer delight for the host nation; the Men’s Team trio of Werner Schlager, Chen Weixing and Robert Gardos delivered the goods.

Deliver the goods they did and they delivered the goods in style. They beat Japan by three-nil to secure the top prize.

Austria justified their top seeded position and responded to the pressure situation of playing on home soil and being expected to finish proceedings on the top step of the medal podium.

 11/1/2008 2008 ERKE Austrian Open

Hungary, the most successful European nation in the Women’s event at the Evergrande Real Estate World Team Championships in Guangzhou earlier in the year underlined their pedigree at the Erke Austrian Open in the picturesque city of Salzburg on Saturday 1st November 2008.

In most impressive style they captured the Women’s Team title recording a three matches to nil victory over Spain.

The trio of Krisztina Toth, Georgina Pota and Petra Lovas proved irrepressible against Zhu Fang, Galia Dvorak and Sara Ramirez.

 11/1/2008 2008 ERKE Austrian Open

Poland’s Wang Zeng Yi and Germany’s Patrick Baum were the players to cause the shocks in the quarter-finals of the Men’s Singles event at the Erke Austrian Open in Linz on Saturday 1st November 2008.

Wang Zeng Yi, seeded no.21 and ranked at no.81 on the current ITTF Men’s World Ranking list beat Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov, the no.3 seed and at the moment enjoying his highest ever World Ranking of no.13; whilst Patrick Baum redressed the balance for Germany by saddening the home town fans.

 11/1/2008 2008 ERKE Austrian Open

Lie Jie of the Netherlands was the player to cause the major surprise at the quarter-final stage of the Women’s Singles event at the Erke Austrian Open in Salzburg on Saturday 1st November 2008.

Seeded no.7 she beat the no.2 seed, the host nation’s Liu Jia in five games to book her place in the semi-finals.

An unexpected result on paper but in reality not too unexpected; Liu Jia is not the most confident player against the backspin artist and Li Jie is very consistent in that department.