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ITTF Challenge

2018 ITTF Challenge, Thailand Open

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Indians respond but pride of place for Thailand

18 May 2018

Defeats contrary to expectations earlier in the day in the Men’s Singles event for India’s Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Sanil Shetty but together, later in the day on Friday 18th May, there was better news.

The top seeds, they negotiated the Men’s Doubles opening round against a potentially difficult partnership; they accounted for Japan’s Hokuto Koriyama and Mizuki Oikawa, both players who earlier in the day had booked third round Men’s Singles places. The Indian duo emerged successful in four games (13-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9).

Padasak Tanviriyavechakul partnered Supanut Wisutmaythangkoon to an unexpected opening round success (Photo: Apithai Bumrungpanictarworn)

by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Manager

Success for Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Sanil Shetty, there was also opening round Men’s Doubles success for colleagues Harmeet Desai and Manav Vikash Thakkar. The no.3 seeds, they beat Iran’s Amin Miralmasi and Hamidreza Taherkhani but they endured testing times, they needed the full five games to ensure victory (9-11, 12-10, 5-11, 11-9, 11-2).

Two wins for India, it was not to be a third; Arjun Ghosh and Raj Mondal, the no.8 seeds, experienced defeat at the hands of Malaysia’s Muhamad Ashraf Haiqal and Leong Chee Feng (11-6, 3-11, 12-10, 12-10).

Nevertheless, it was a positive start for India; it was the same for the host nation.

Padasak Tanviriyavechakul and Supanut Wisutmaythangkoon beat Austria’s Thomas Grininger and David Serdaroglu by the very minimal margin in a full distance five games encounter (12-10, 11-13, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9), the win as anticipated, the Thai duo being the no.7 seeds.

Conversely, the victory recorded by Yanapong Panagitgun and Supakron Pankhaoyoy was not to be anticipated; they accounted for Chinese Taipei’s Huang Chien-Tu and Wang Tai-Wei, the no.6 seeds, in what was as equally close duel as was experienced by their colleagues. Similarly, they prevailed by the minimal margin in the fifth game (5-11, 11-7, 8-11, 14-12, 12-10).

A most fruitful opening round for Thailand; it was quite the opposite for Chinese Taipei.

In addition to Huang Chien-Tu and Wang Tai-Wei; Peng Wang-Wei and Sun Chia-Hung, the no.4 seeds, suffered at the hands of Germany’s Tobias Hippler and Kilian Ort (11-9, 11-8, 11-6). Likewise, Feng Yi-Hsin and Hung Tzu-Hsiang, the no.5 seeds, experienced defeat when facing Irvin Bertrand and Andrea Landrieu; just as with the Thai pairings, the French duo emerged successful by the very minimal margin (8-11, 11-9, 11-5, 8-11, 12-10).

Close calls and there was a close call, a very close call for Japan’s Masataka Morizono and Kenta Tazoe, the no.2 seeds; they had to recover from a two games to nil deficit and the brink of defeat in third game to beat China’s Lai Jiaxin and Yan Sheng (8-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-4).

At the quarter-final stage Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Sanil Shetty meet Muhamad Ashraf Haiqal and Leong Chee Feng; Yanapong Panagitgun and Supakron Pankhaoyoy oppose Harmeet Desai and Manav Vikash Thakkar. In the opposite half of the draw; Tobias Hippler and Kilian Ort confront Irvin Bertrand and Andrea Landrieu, Padasak Tanviriyavechakul and Supanut Wisutmaythangkoon face Masataka Morizono and Kenta Tazoe.

The quarter-finals and semi-finals will be played on Saturday 19th May.

Challenge Series Sathiyan Gnanasekaran Sanil Shetty

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