by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor
At the Seamaster 2017 ITTF Challenge Chile Open, which concluded in Santiago on Sunday 30th April, in harness with Amalraj Anthony, Soumyajit Ghosh won the Men’s Doubles title before beating his partner in the Men’s Singles final.
In São Paulo, the Indian duo experienced defeat in their opening Men’s Doubles contest, losing to Germany’s Patrick Baum and the Slovak Republic’s Thomas Keinath (11-4, 4-11, 11-8, 13-11).
Disappointment for Soumyajit Ghosh, there was more to follow. In the first round of the Men’s Singles event, occupying the no.3 seeded position in the competition, he was beaten by the host nation’s Eric Jouti (7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7).
The one consolation for India was that Amalraj Anthony, the no.8 seed, survived the Men’s Singles opening round; later in the afternoon he avenged the defeat by overcoming Massao Kohatsu, like Eric Jouti from Brazil (11-4, 12-10, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6).
Defeat for Soumyajit Ghosh contrary to expectations; it was the same for Brazil’s Cazuo Matsumoto and almost for Hugo Calderano.
Cazuo Matsumoto, the no.6 seed, was beaten by Bulgaria’s Philipp Floritz (11-9, 11-6, 4-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-1), a player against whom he has experienced problems in the past. . In 2012 on the ITTF World Tour in Russia, they met in the second round of the Men’s Singles event; on that occasion Philipp Floritz emerged successful in seven games (5-11, 11-9, 11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 9-11, 11-3).
A match to attract the attention but no contest attracted the attention more than the duel between Hugo Calderano, the top seed and the Slovak Republic’s Thomas Keinath. Hugo Calderano won but only by the very minimal margin in a dramatic seventh game (11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-13, 14-12); the whole of São Paulo breathed a sigh of relief.
Eventual success for Hugo Calderano as status predicted; it was the same for colleague, Gustavo Tsuboi, as it was for Germany’s Patrick Baum, Romania’s Hunor Szocs and Frenchman, Andrea Landrieu.
Gustavo Tsuboi and Hunor Szocs both beat Chilean adversaries; Gustavo Tsuboi overcame Gustavo Gomez (11-8, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5), Hunor Szocs ended the hopes of Juan Lamadrid (11-5, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5).
Meanwhile for Patrick Baum and Andrea Landrieu it was success in opposition to Brazilian adversaries. Patrick Baum overcame Luiz Anjos (11-7, 11-3, 11-8, 11-7), Andrea Landrieu ended the hopes of Carlos Ishida (11-7, 11-4, 11-8, 11-4).
At the quarter-final stage Hugo Calderano plays Andrea Landrieu, Gustavo Tsuboi faces Eric Jouti; in the opposite half of the draw Hunor Szocs meets Amalraj Anthony, Philipp Floritz encounters Patrick Baum.
The quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Men’s Singles event will be played on Saturday 6th May
