by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Manager

The top seed, he emerged successful but only just; at the final hurdle he came perilously close to defeat. He beat Romania’s Cristian Pletea, the no.4 seed, in seven games emerging successful by the minimal two point margin in the seventh game 11-6, 5-11, 12-10, 11-5, 5-11, 5-11, 12-10). A dramatic ending to the three day tournament was an understatement.

Romanian hopes thwarted, at the semi-final stage it had been exactly the same scenario; Tomas Polansky had ended the hopes of Rares Sipos, the no.8 seed but in a rather less tension manner than the way he overcame Cristian Pletea. He won in five games (11-6, 11-4, 12-10, 1-11, 11-6).

Meanwhile, in the opposite half of the draw in yet another nail-biting contest, Cristian Pletea had accounted for Slovenia’s Darko Jorgic, the no.2 seed (11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 5-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9).

Defeat meant that as last year Darko Jorgic finished in the bronze medal position.

Gold for the Tomas Polansky, in the Men’s Doubles event it was bronze in partnership with Germany’s Dennis Klein. The duo experienced defeat at the hands of Turkey’s Ibrahim Gündüz and Abdullah Yigenler (11-7, 7-11, 12-10, 11-7), the champions elect.

In the final Ibrahim Gündüz and Abdullah Yigenler beat Poland’s Patryk Zatowka and Marek Badowski (11-8, 9-11, 11-3, 11-9); in the counterpart semi-final Patryk Zatowka and Marek Badowski had lost to Russia’s Konstantin Chernov and Artur Abusev (5-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6).