Zhai Yujia secures podium top step
Men’s Singles Final
Denmark’s Zhai Yujia, the no.26 seed, beat Germany’s Qiu Dang, the no.13 seed, to secure the men’s singles title; he won in six games (11-8, 5-11, 7-11, 11-4, 13-11, 11-4).
It means he becomes only the second player ever, representing Denmark, on either the ITTF World Tour or at an ITTF Challenge Series tournament to win a men’s singles event; the only other instance was in Aarhus in 2004 when Michael Maze won on home soil beating Hong Kong’s Leung Chu Yan in the final.
Top seeded place justified, Miyu Kato secures title
Women’s Singles Final
First place earlier in the year at the Japanese selection tournament for places in the national team to attend the forthcoming Liebherr 2019 World Championships in Budapest, Miyu Kato, the top seed, beat Romanian qualifier Adina Diaconu (5-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6) to win the women’s singles title.
It is for Miyu Kato her second such success; last year she won in Slovenia overcoming colleague, Sakura Mori in the final.
Title for Germany
Men’s Doubles Final
Kilian Ort and Qiu Dang, the no.7 seeds, beat Chinese Taipei qualifiers Lee Chia-Sheng and Yang Heng-Wei to win the men’s doubles title; they prevailed in five games (10-12, 9-11, 11-5, 17-15, 11-7).
It is the second career ITTF Challenge Series men’s doubles title won by Kilian Ort; last year partnering colleague Tobias Hippler he won in Bangkok; the pair beating India’s Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Sanil Shetty in the final
First of the century
Women’s Doubles Final
The French pairing of Stéphanie Loueillette and Yuan Jia Nan emerged the surprise winners of the women’s doubles event; required to compete in the qualification tournament, they beat Poland’s Natalia Bajor and Natalia Partyka, the no.6 seeds (11-8, 11-5, 11-7) in the final.
Success meansthey are only the second ever French pairing to win a women’s doubles title on either the ITTF World Tour or at an ITTF Challenge Series tournament and the only pair this century. The one previous success was in 1999 on the ITTF World Tour in Rio de Janeiro when Anne Boileau and Anne-Sophie Gourin won at the final expense of Japan’s Kazuko Naito and Rinko Sakata.
Convincing win
Men’s Singles Semi-Final
Denmark’s Zhai Yujia, the no.26 seed, booked his place in his first ever men’s singles final at either an ITTF World Tour or ITTF Challenge Series tournament.
At the semi-final stage he beat Romanian qualifier, Rares Sipos in four straight games (11-1, 11-8, 11-5, 11-9).
Landmark win for Adina Diaconu
Women’s Singles Semi-Final
Required to compete in the two qualification tournament, Romania’s Adina Diaconu continued to defy the odds; at the semi-final stage of the women’s singles event she beat Italy’s Li Xiang, the no.27 seed (11-4, 3-11, 11-6, 11-6, 6-11, 4-11, 11-8).
Success and a landmark win; it is the first time that the 19 year old has reached a women’s singles final on either the ITTF World Tour or ITTF Challenge Series.
Qiu Dang edges all-German thriller
Men’s Singles Semi-Final
We’ve just been treated to an absolute thriller in the Men’s Singles competition with Germany’s Qiu Dang and Steffen Mengel playing out a dramatic encounter. Trailing by three games to one Steffen Mengel pulled two games back to force a deciding seventh game, but despite momentum being against him it was Qiu Dang who took the win (11-4, 13-15, 11-6, 12-10, 8-11, 7-11, 12-10).
Miyu Kato gets day off to strong start
Women’s Singles Semi-Final
The first fixture of the day has resulted in a win for Japan with Miyu Kato producing a solid performance in the semi-finals of the Women’s Singles event. Seeded first for the competition Miyu Kato needed just five games to see off Chinese Taipei qualifier Huang Yu-Wen (11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4) to confirm her place in the final.
Final day in Guadalajara
Sunday 24th March marks the final day of play at the Seamaster 2019 ITTF Challenge Spanish Open – here’s the fixture line-up for the closing day in Guadalajara:
Colleagues meet, no love lost
Men’s Doubles Semi-Finals
Both pairs required to qualify, Lee Chia-Sheng and Yang Heng-Wei beat Chinese Taipei colleagues Huang Chien-Tu and Wang Tai-Wei by the very narrowest of margins at the semi-final stage of the men’s doubles event (11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 11-13, 14-12).
In the final they meet Germany’s Kilian Ort and Qiu Dang, the no.7 seeds; in the penultimate round they accounted for Belgian bothers Laurens Devos and Robin Devos, the no.6 seeds (11-9, 11-8, 14-12).
Finalists decided
Women’s Doubles Semi-Finals
The French partnership formed by Stéphanie Loeuillette and Yan Jia Nan will face Poland’s Natalia Bajor and Natalia Partyka in the women’s doubles final.
At the semi-final stage Stéphanie Loeuillette and Yan Jia Nan gained a walk-over against Spain’s Liu Xin and Maria Xiao; Natalia Bajor and Natalia Partyka, the no.6 seeds, beat qualifiers Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu-Wen and Li Yu-Jhun by the very narrowest of decisions (7-11, 12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 13-11)
Rares Sipos and Zhai Yujia upset seeding
Men’s Singles Quarter-Finals
Romania’s Rares Sipos and Denmark’s Zhai Yujia both upset the seeding to book semi-final men’scsigles places.
Qualifier, Rares Sipos beat the Czech Republic’s Tomas Tregler, the no.25 seed (11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7); Zhai Yujia, the no.26 seed, accounted for Sweden’s Pår Gerell, the no.17 seed (11-13, 11-6, 12-10, 11-9, 6-11, 8-11, 11-7).
Germany guaranteed final place
Men’s Singles Quarter-Finals
At the quarter-final stage of the men’s singles event, qualifier Steffen Mengel beat Brazil’s Vitor Ishiy, the no.12 seed (11-5, 11-13, 11-2, 11-6, 11-8); colleague Qiu Dang, the no.13 seed, beat fellow pen-holder, the host nation’s Jesus Cantero, the no.16 seed (11-9, 1-11, 13-11, 11-5, 11-7).
Thus an all German semi-final was realized and the hopes of Spain disappeared into the evening air.
Adina Diaconu ends Spanish hopes
Women’s Singles Quarter-Finals
Romania’s Adina Diaconu beat fellow qualifier, Liu Xin to end Spanish hopes in the women’s singles event; impressively she prevailed in five games (8-11, 13-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-4).
A fine performance but the players to cause biggest upsets were Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu-Wen and Italy’s Li Xiang. Also a qualifier, Huang Yu-Wen accounted for Luxembourg’s Ni Xia Lian, the no.3 seed (6-11, 13-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-3); Li Xiang, the no.27 seed, overcame Slovakia’s Barbora Balazova, the no.5 seed (6-11, 8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-8).
Defeats for notable names, not for the most notable of all, Japan’s Miyu Kato, the top seed, beat Chinese Taipei qualifier Li Yu-Jhun (11-4, 11-9, 11-3, 6-11, 11-4).
Horacio Cifuentes strikes gold
Under 21 Men’s Singles Final
Horacio Cifuentes emerged the under 21 men’s singles winner; in a full distance final he beat Frenchman Jules Rolland by the very narrowest of margins (6-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10).
Success for Horacio Cifuentes, his second such title; at the 2017 ITTF Challenge Chile Open he had accounted for the host nation’s Juan Lamadrid to claim the top step of the podium.
Adriana Diaz ends Spanish hopes
Under 21 Women’s Singles Final
Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz won the under 21 women’s singles event beating the host nation’s Ana Garcia in the final (9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-8).
“Ana service is quick and she spins the ball well. I focused on assessing the amount of spin she put on the ball; once I was able to adjust to her services and return well I became more confident. As the match progressed I tried to vary the placement of my service more and attack first.” Adriana Diaz
It is the second such title won by Adriana Diaz; on the 2017 ITTF World Tour she won in Olomouc accounting for Germany’s Nina Mittelham in the final.
Rares Sipos shines again
Men’s Singles Round Three
Romania’s Rares Sipos was the player to shine as the lower half of the draw in the men’s singles event progressed. He beat fellow qualifier Japan’s Tomoya Fujimura (11-6, 11-8, 11-4, 8-11, 9-11, 2-11, 11-4).
Progress for one qualifier, for the rest it was journey’s end. Similarly, Germany’s Kilian Ort and Dennis Klein both departed. Kilian Ort was beaten by the Czech Republic’s Tomas Tregler, the no.25 seed (7-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-2, 11-6, 11-3); Dennis Klein lost to Sweden’s Pår Gerell, the no.17 seed (11-7, 11-9, 11-13, 11-6, 11-7). Similarly, Argentina’s Horacio Cifuentes suffered against Denmark’s Zhai Yujia, the no.26 seed (9-11, 11-6, 8-11, 12-10, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6)
Pen-hold progress
Men’s Singles Round Three
Jesus Cantero kept the hopes of the host nation alive; in the second round of the men’s singles event, the no.16 seed, in the third round of the men’s singles event he beat Switzerland’s Lionel Weber (11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-9).
Success as expected it was the same for fellow pen-holder Qiu Dang; the no.13 seed, he beat Japanese qualifier Yuma Tsuboi (2-11, 11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9)
Familiarity
Men’s Singles Round Three
A familiar adversary, qualifier Steffen Mengel beat German colleague, Ruwen Filus, the top seed (12-14, 11-9, 13-11, 11-13, 11-8, 13-15, 11-8) to book his place in the third round.
Colleagues, the outcome was hardly a surprise; the bigger surprise was the win recorded by Brazil’s Vitor Ishiy; the no.12 seed, he ousted Belgium’s Robin Devos, the no.8 seed (7-11, 11-9, 11-8, 14-12, 11-8).
Impressive performances
Women’s Singles Round Two
Japan’s Miyu Kato, Luxembourg’s Ni Xia Lian and Romania’s Adina Diaconu gave the most impressive performance in the second round of the women’s singles event.
Miyu Kato, the top seed, beat Switzerland’s Rachel Moret, the no.15 seed (11-2, 13-11, 11-3, 11-5), Ni Xia Lian, the no.3 seed, overcame Brazil’s Bruna Takhashi, the no.9 seed (11-7, 11-3, 11-9, 11-6). Meanwhile, qualifier, Adina Diaconu, ended the hopes of Russia’s Olga Vorobeva, the no.12 seed (9-11, 11-8, 14-12, 11-9, 12-10). Not to be overshadowed, Slovakia’s Barbora Balazova, the no.5 seed, defeated Austrian qualifier, Karoline Mischek (10-12, 11-6, 11-3, 7-11, 15-13, 12-10).
A surprise not surprise
Women’s Singles Round Two
Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz, the no.2 seed suffered a second round exit. She was beaten by Spain’s Liu Xin, a qualifier (11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 9-11, 12-10). An upset maybe not; in 2014 representing China, Liu Xin won the women’s singles title at the ITTF World Tour Brazil Open.
Similarly, qualifiers Chinese Taipei’s Li Yu-Jhun and Huang Yu-Wen booked third round places; Li Yu-Jhun beat Croatia’s Sun Jiayi (11-5, 9-11, 11-7, 12-14, 11-6, 11-5); Huang Yu-Wen ousted Portugal’s Shao Jieni, the no.25 seed (6-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8).
Argentine prevents all French final
Under 21 Men’s Singles Semi-Finals
Argentina’s Horacio Cifuentes, the no.10 seed, beat Irvin Bertrand, the no.14 seed (11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6) at the semi-final stage of the under 21 men’s singles event and thus avoided the possibility of an all French final.
In the opposite half of the draw, in an all French contest, qualifier Jules Rolland accounted for Bastien Rembert, the no.15 seed (11-8, 15-13, 16-14).
Success for Spain
Under 21 Women’s Singles Semi-Finals
Ana Garcia continued her quite incredible run of form; at the semi-final stage of the under 21 women’s singles event she beat Hungary’s Leonie Hartbricht, the no.8 seed (11-3, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9).
In the final she meets Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz, the no.2 seed; she reserved her place in the title decider courtesy of success against Croatia’s Sun Jiayi, the no.4 seed (11-6, 4-11, 11-9, 11-8).
Top seeds fall
Men’s Doubles Quarter-Finals
The top two seeded pairs in the men’s doubles event both experienced quarter-final exits; both lost to qualifiers. Hungary’s Nandor Ecseki and Adam Szudi, the top seeds, lost to Germany’s Kilian Ort and Qiu Dang (12-10, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9); Brazil’s Vitor Ishiy and Eric Jouti , the no.2 seeds, suffered at the hands of Chinese Taipei’s Huang Chien-Tu and Wang Tai-Wei (11-6, 13-11, 11-6).
Likewise, Belgium’s Laurens Devos and Robin Devos upset the order of merit; the no.6 seeds, they beat India’s Raj Mondal and Sanil Shetty, the no.3 seeds (7-11, 8-11, 11-5, 13-11, 11-9). Meanwhile, in the one remaining quarter-final contest involving qualifiers, Chinese Taipei’s Lee Chia-Sheng and Yang Heng-Wei overcame Japan’s Tomoya Fujimura and Yusuke Sadamatsu (12-10, 10-12, 11-3, 11-9).
Favourites crash out
Women’s Doubles Quarter-Finals
The Slovak and Czech partnership of Barbora Balazova and Hana Matelova have been knocked out of the Women’s Doubles draw following a dramatic 3-2 defeat against French qualification heroines Stéphanie Loeuillette and Yuan Jia Nan (7-11, 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10).
We have also lost the pair seeded second for the tournament in Croatia’s Mateja Jeger and Germany’s Sabine Winter, who were shown the door by sixth seeds Natalia Bajor and Natalia Partyka of Poland (11-9, 8-11, 11-4, 11-6).
Jules Rolland causes major surprise
Under 21 Men’s Singles Quarter-Finals
Qualifier, Frenchman Jules Rolland caused the biggest shock of the under 21 men’s singles event to date; at the quarter-final stage he beat Romania’s Rares Sipos. The win guarantees a place for France in the final. In the penultimate round Jules Rolland meets Bastien Rembert, the no.15 seed; he booked his place in the title decider by beating Italy’s Gabriele Piciulin (11-9, 11-5, 14-12), like Jules Rolland required to compete in the qualification tournament.
In the opposite half of the draw, there was also success for France; Irvin Bertrand, the no.14 seed, accounted for Argentine qualifier, Francisco Sanchi (11-7, 11-5, 12-10). Defeat for Argentina but there was success; Horacio Cifuentes, the no.10 seed, ended the hopes of Portugal’s José Pedro Francisco, the no.25 seed (11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 11-4).
Ana Garcia continues good form
Under 21 Women’s Singles Quarter-Finals
The host nation’s Ana Garcia continued her outstanding form at the quarter-final stage of the under 21 women’s singles event; a qualifier she beat Belgium’s Lisa Lung, the top seed (12-10, 12-10, 8-11, 11-2).
She meets Hungary’s Leonie Hartbrich in the semi-finals; likewise she caused an upset. The no.8 seed, she accounted for Audrey Zarif of France, the no.3 seed (12-10, 11-5, 8-11, 11-4). In the opposite half of the draw, Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz, the no.2 seed, beat Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi, the no.6 seed (11-5, 12-10, 11-8); Croatia’s Sun Jiayi, the no.4 seed, ended the hopes of Spain’s Zhang Xuan (7-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-4).
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Rares Sipos swept aside
Under 21 Men’s Singles Quarter-Finals
Following hot on the heels of Lisa Lung’s departure, the top seeded player in the Under 21 Men’s Singles has also been eliminated at the quarter-finals stage of play with Romania’s Rares Sipos suffering a convincing defeat at the hands of French qualifier Jules Rolland (11-7, 11-5, 12-10). Argentina’s Horacio Cifuentes is the highest seeded competitor left in the race for silverware after the ninth seed successfully negotiated his match against Portugal’s Jose Pedro Francisco (11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 11-4).
Top seed departs!
Under 21 Women’s Singles Quarter-Finals
Belgium’s Lisa Lung, who entered the draw in the no.1 seeded position has experienced an earlier than anticipated exit in the Under 21 Women’s Singles event, falling to local favourite Ana Garcia in a thrilling contest (12-10, 12-10, 8-11, 11-2). There’s also no room in the penultimate round for third seed Audrey Zarif after the French competitor was dealt a 3-1 defeat by Hungarian opponent Leonie Hartbrich (12-10, 11-5, 8-11, 11-4).
Day two arrives
Following a dramatic opening to the Seamaster 2019 ITTF Challenge Spanish Open we are happy to report another exciting day of table tennis is coming your way from Guadalajara – take a look at the fixtures for the day ahead:
Second Seed Falls
Men’s Singles Round Two
Second seed and last year the runner up, Austria’s Robert Gardos experienced a second round men’s singles exit. He was beaten by Denmark’s Zhai Yujia, the no.26 seed (11-8, 11-7, 11-7, 3-11, 11-7).
Similarly, the Czech Republic’s Tomas Tregler, the no.25 seed, caused an upset as did Sweden’s Pår Gerell. Tomas Tregler accounted for Mexico’s Marcos Madrid, the no.5 seed (5-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8); Sweden’s Pår Gerell, the no.17 seed, overcame Frenchman Alexandre Robinot, the no.7 seed (11-4, 11-13, 11-7, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7).
Qualifiers make presence felt
Men’s Singles Round One
Facing seeded opposition, qualifiers made their presence felt as play continued in the lower half of the draw in the men’s singles event.
Romania’s Rares Sipos beat Japan’s Kohei Sambe, the no.27 seed (10-12, 11-6, 11-8, 12-14, 8-11, 14-12, 11-8); Japan’s Tomoya Fujimura overcame Chinese Taipei’s Hung Tzu-Hsiang, the no.24 seed (11-6, 12-10, 13-11, 8-11, 6-11, 9-11, 11-9).
Yuma Tsuboi in form
Men’s Singles Round One
A qualifier, Yuma Tsuboi was very much the player in form as matters commenced in the top half of the men’s singles draw; he beat the Czech Republic’s Lubomir Jancarik, the no.4 seed, in a hard fought seven games contest (10-12, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7). Similarly required to compete in the two day qualification tournament, Germany’s Steffen Mengel overcame Hungary’s Bence Majoros, the no.15 seed (11-6, 9-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-9).
Two upsets as matters progressed in the top half of the draw; there was one more of note; Switzerland’s Lionel Weber, the no.21 seed, overcame England’s Sam Walker, the no.6 seed (14-12, 6-11, 14-12, 7-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6).
Meanwhile, for the leading names Germany’s Ruwen Filus, the top seed, overcame the Czech Republic’s Tomas Konecny, the no.19 seed (5-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4, 11-9); Belgium’s Robin Devos, the no.8 seed, ended the progress of Frenchman, Enzo Angles, the no.28 seed (10-12, 11-13, 12-10, 11-5, 11-8, 11-7).
Adriana Diaz and Barbora Balazova book third round places
Women’s Singles Round Two
Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz and Slovakia’s Barbora Balazova, two of the most prominent names in the lower half of the women’s singles draw duly emerged successful in their second round encounters.
However, Adriana Diaz, the no.2 seed, was tested; she needed the full seven games to beat German qualifier Chantal Mantz (11-5, 8-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-6). For Barbora Balazova life was less strenuous, she overcame Italy’s Debora Vivarelli, the no.18 seed, in five games (12-10, 11-6, 11-5, 10-12, 11-9).
Yuan Jia Nan causes major upset
Women’s Singles Round Two
Yuan Ji Nan of France, a qualifier, caused the biggest upset in the second round of the women’s singles event; she beat the Czech Republic’s Hana Matelova, the no.4 seed (11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 12-14, 11-6, 14-12).
Likewise in the lower half of the draw Austria’s Karoline Mischek and Spain’s Liu Xin alongside Romania’s Adina Diaconu, all qualifiers, booked third round places. Karoline Mischek, accounted for Chile’s Paulina Vega, the no.26 seed (11-5, 11-3, 9-11, 14-12, 11-5); Liu Xin overcame Colombia’s Paula Medina, the no.24 seed (12-10, 11-3, 11-3, 11-6). Meanwhile, Adina Diaconu ended the hopes of fellow qualifier Japan’s Ayane Morita (11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-6).
Li Yu-Jhun halts Spanish progress
Women’s Singles Round Two
Chinese Taipei’s caused an upset of note as play began in the second round of the women’s singles event; a qualifier, she beat the host nation’s Maria Xiao, the no.6 seed (8-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8). Likewise, Croatia’s Sun Jiayi upset the order of merit by overcoming the Czech Republic’s Dana Cechova (4-11, 13-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-5).
Otherwise for the leading names in the top half of the draw it was success; Miyu Kato, the top seed, beat Italy’s Giorgia Piccolin, the no.21 seed (11-6, 11-6, 11-2, 11-7), Luxembourg’s Ni Xia Lian, the no.3 seed, overcame, Pauline Chasselin of France (11-7, 11-6, 3-11, 3-11, 11-4, 12-10).
Japanese duo raises eyebrows
Men’s Doubles Round One
Japan’s Tomoya Fujinuma and Yusuke Sadamatsu caused the biggest upset in the opening round of the men’s doubles event; they beat the French pairing of Alexandre Robinot and Joe Seyfried, the no.4 seeds in three straight games (11-9, 13-11, 11-3).
Similarly, Chinese Taipei pairs were in form. Huang Chien-Tu and Wang Tai-Wei overcame the combination of Hungary’s Tamas Lakatos and Poland’s Patryk Zatowka, the no.5 seeds (11-5, 11-5, 11-8); Lee Chia-Sheng and Yang Heng-Wei ended the hopes of the host nation. They accounted for Carlos Franco and Miguel Vilchez, the no.8 seeds (11-8, 11-7, 11-1).
Seeds fall
Women’s Doubles Round One
Germany’s Chantal Mantz and Wan Yuan caused the biggest upset in the opening round of the women’s doubles event. They beat Luxembourg’s Sarah de Nutte and Danielle Konsbruck, the no.3 seeds, in three straight games 11-4, 11-6, 11-9).
Likewise, Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu-Wen and Li Yu-Jhun accounted for Spain’s Galia Dvorak and Zhang Xuan, the no.5 seeds (11-9, 11-5, 11-5); conversely, the latter’s colleagues Liu Xin and Maria Xiao ousted the combination of Italy’s Debora Vivarelli and Lily Zhang of the United States, the no.7 seeds (11-8, 11-4, 11-7).
Three upsets, there was one more; Stéphanie Loeuillette and Yuan Jia Nan of France ended the hopes of Romania’s Irina Ciobanu and Adina Diaconu, the no.8 seeds (12-10, 11-6, 7-11, 11-5)
The name is Francisco
Under 21 Men’s Singles Round Two
Both required to compete in the qualification tournament, Argentina’s Francisco Sanchi and Portugal’s José Pedro Francisco were the players to impress as the second round of the under 21 men’s singles event came to a close. Francisco Sanchi beat Austria’s Thomas Grininger, the no.7 seed (11-8, 12-10, 12-10), José Pedro Francisco accounted for fellow qualifier Germany’s Cedric Meissner (11-5, 3-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9).
Success for Argentina, there was further success, Horacio Cifuentes, the no.10 seed, beat Egypt’s Youssef Abdel-Aziz (5-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-7); in the one remaining contest in the lower half of the draw, Frenchman, Irvin Bertrand, the no.3 seed, overcame Switzerland’s Nicolas Simonet (11-8, 11-2, 11-7).
Frenchmen in form
Under 21 Men’s Singles Round Two
Jules Rolland and Bastien Rembert, both from France, booked under 21 men’s singles quarter-final places. In the second round, Jules Rolland, required to compete in the qualification group stage, beat Belgium’s Thibaut Darcis, the no.6 seed (11-8, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9); Bastien Rembert, the no.14 seed, ousted Germany’s Nils Hohmeier, the no.4 seed (6-11, 11-2, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9).
Also in the top half of the draw, Romania’s Rares Sipos, the top seed, accounted for Nicholas Tio of the United States, the no.16 seed (11-6, 11-8, 11-6); in the contest of the qualifiers, Gabriele Piciulin overcame Chinese Taipei’s Huang Chien-Tu (11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6).
Dennis Klein follows example
Men’s Singles Round One
Success contrary to expectations earlier in the day for Germany’s Steffen Mengel, Gerritt Engemann and Kilian Ort; Dennis Klein followed the example set by his colleagues as the opening round of the men’s singles event concluded. He beat Chile’s Felipe Olivares, the no.14 seed (11-8, 11-6, 11-3, 10-12, 11-3).
Defeat against the odds for Felipe Olivares, it was the same for the Czech Republic’s David Reitspies; the no.29 seed, he experienced defeat at the hands of Italy’s Leonardo Mutti (11-8, 11-13, 11-8, 5-11, 11-8, 12-14, 11-7).
A close win for Leonardo Mutti, it was the same for Austria’s Robert Gardos, the no.2 seed, he overcame Egypt’s Youssef Abdel Aziz by the very narrowest of decisions (11-6, 11-13, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7, 10-12, 11-9). Meanwhile, for Frenchman Alexandre Robinot, the no.7 seed, life was less demanding, he accounted for Romania’s Alexandre Cazacu in four straight games (11-2, 11-9, 11-5, 11-3)
Rares Sipos causes biggest upset
Men’s Singles Round One
Romania’s Rares Sipos caused the biggest upset in the opening round of the men’s singles event; he beat Eric Jouti, the no.3 seed (11-6, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9) on what was not a good day for Brazil. In addition, Thiago Monteiro, the no.9 seed, was beaten by Japan’s Tomoya Fujimura (11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-5, 4-11, 11-8).
Surprise defeats, there were more as play progressed. Mexico’s Marcos Madrid, the no.5 seed, upheld Latin American honour by beating Spain’s Guillermo Martinez (9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-5, 11-3) but contrary to expectations there were defeats for Hungary’s Nandor Ecseki, the no.11 seed and Laurens Tromer of the Netherlands, the no.23 seed. Nandor Ecseki was beaten by Poland’s Patryk Zatowka (4-11, 14-12, 7-11, 11-6, 12-10, 9-11, 11-8); Laurens Tromer lost to Germany’s Kilian Ort (11-13, 11-5, 3-11, 11-6, 14-12, 11-9)
More German success
Men’s Singles Round One
Germany’s Tobias Hippler emerged the player to upset the order of merit as play progressed in the men’s singles event; he accounted for Hungary’s Adam Szudi, the no.22 seed (7-11, 11-7, 15-13, 4-11, 11-7, 11-7).
Otherwise as the second quarter of the draw progressed the prominent names prevailed; notably the Czech Republic’s Lubomir Jancarik, the no.4 seed, beat Frenchman Bastien Rembert (11-8, 11-13, 11-9, 5-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-7), England’s Sam Walker, the no.6 seed, ousted India’s Birdie Boro (11-4, 7-11, 11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 11-3).
German delight
Men’s Singles Round One
It was success for Germany as play begin in the men’s singles event. Ruwen Filus won as expected, both Steffen Mengel and Gerritt Engemann upset the odds.
Ruwen Filus, the top seed, beat the Czech Republic’s Stanislav Kucera (7-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6, 11-3); Steffen Mengel accounted for Scotland’s Gavin Rumgay, the no.20 seed (11-7, 11-9, 11-6, 11-9). In a similarly impressive manner, Gerritt Engemann overcame Luxembourg’s Eric Glod, the no.30 seed (11-5, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8).
Surprises in the top quarter of the draw but not for the no.8 seed; Belgium’s Robin Devos proved too strong for Italy’s Marco Rechb Daldosso (11-6, 13-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7).
Ayane Morita causes major upset
Women’s Singles Round One
Winner at the Finnish Open in late December, Japan’s Ayane Morita caused the biggest upset in the opening round of the women’s singles event. She beat Germany’s Sabine Winter, the no.7 seed, in seven games (11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 12-14, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7).
Ayane Morita in form and causing upsets as the round closed; she was not alone. Romania’s Adina Diaconu beat Croatia’s Mateja Jeger, the no.20 seed (11-9, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8), Belgium’s Nathalie Marchetti accounted for Chile’s Daniela Ortega, the no.28 seed (11-3, 11-8, 11-8, 12-10). Similarly, Spain’s Liu Xin overcame Lily Zhang of the United States 9-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7); Germany’s Chantal Mantz ended the hopes of Serbia’s Andrea Todorovic (7-11, 11-9, 11-5, 7-11, 11-7, 11-5).
Defeats for notable names but not for the second seed as the round concluded; Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz beat the Czech Republic’s Katerina Tomanovska (11-7, 11-8, 11-9, 13-11)
Surprises abound
Women’s Singles Round One
The Czech Republic’s Hana Matelova, the no.4 seed and Slovakia’s Barbora Balazova, the no.5 seed, emerged successful but there were plenty of surprises as the opening round of the women’s singles event progressed.
Hana Matelova beat Russia’s Irina Ermakova (13-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-6), Barbora Balazova accounted for Brazil’s Jessica Yamada (11-9, 8-11, 6-11, 7-11, 15-13, 11-9, 11-7).
Conversely, Poland’s Natalia Bajor, the no.31 seed, lost to Yuan Jia Nan of France (7-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-3, 11-13, 11-7, 11-9), Hungary’s Dora Madarasz, the no.14 seed, suffered at the hands of Austria’s Karoline Mischek (11-7, 11-3, 11-4, 11-6). However, the biggest upset and disappointment for the host nation was the defeat of Galia Dvorak, the no.11 seed; she was beaten by Croatia’s Ivana Tubikanec (5-11, 11-5, 12-10, 12-10, 11-9)
In form star dealt shock defeat
Women’s Singles Round One
Securing a superb fourth position finish at the CCB 2019 Europe Top 16 Cup competition in February, Poland’s Natalia Partyka was predicted to go far in Guadalajara. However, the no.8 seed failed to negotiate her opening challenge in the Women’s Singles draw, suffering a shock 4-2 defeat to Russian qualifier Olga Vishniakova (4-11, 11-8, 12-10, 3-11, 11-3, 11-7).
Likewise in the same quarter of the draw there was disappointment for the host nation. Zhang Xuan, the no.19 seed, was beaten by Chinese Taipei’s Kuo Chia-Yun (12-10, 11-9, 5-11, 11-8, 11-7). Problems for Zhang Xuan; not for Luxembourg’s Ni Xiam Lian, the no.3 seed. She accounted for Slovenia. Ana Tofant in four straight games (12-10, 11-4, 11-2, 11-5).
Miyu Kato makes fine start
Women’s Singles Round One
Japan’s Miyu Kato made a fine start to her campaign in the women’s singles event; in the opening round she beat Slovakia’s Eva Jurkova (11-4, 11-5, 11-3, 11-5). Likewise as matters commenced there was success as expected for the host nation’s Maria Xiao, the no.6 seed. She accounted for Sweden’s Jennifer Jonsson (11-6, 11-8, 11-5, 11-7).
However, there were upsets, Romania’s Irina Ciobanu, the no.28 seed, was beaten by Croatia’s Sun Jiayi (11-9, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7); similarly Belgium’s Lisa Lung suffered against Chinese Taipei’s Li Yu-Jhun (11-8, 11-6, 11-7, 5-11, 10-12, 11-6)
Opening round departure for Tobias Hippler
Under 21 Men’s Singles Round One
Germany’s Tobias Hippler will play no further part in the Under 21 Men’s Singles tournament after crashing out at the first hurdle: the second seeded player fell to an impressive performance from Egypt’s Youssef Abdel-Aziz, who fought back from a one game deficit on his way to a 3-1 victory (8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-8).
Adriana Diaz battles through
Under 21 Women’s Singles Round One
The top three seeded players competing in the Under 21 Women’s Singles event all came away with opening round victories in Guadalajara. Belgium’s Lisa Lung and France’s Audrey Zarif, seeded first and third respectively, both needed just three games to get the job done against Emily Bolton (11-7, 11-8, 11-9) and Orsolya Feher (11-2, 11-6, 13-11) but for second seed Adriana Diaz the task was more difficult with the Puerto Rican requiring the full match distance to prevail over Olga Vishniakova (11-6, 6-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4).
Seeded players enter the draw
With qualification completed it’s time for the seeded stars to enter the picture with the start of the main event in Guadalajara – here’s a look at the fixture line-up for Day One:
Host nation success
Women’s Doubles Qualification Round Two
The host nation’s Liu Xin and Maria Xiao booked their place in the main draw of the women’s doubles event in an impressive manner. In the second preliminary round they beat Chinese Taipei’s Huang Hsin and Huang Yu-Chiao in three straight games (11-9, 11-7, 11-5).
Success without great alarm, for the Czech Republic’s Karin Adamkova and Aneta Kucerova it was also success but in a much more testing fashion. They needed the full five games to beat Chile’s Daniela Ortega and Paulina Vega (11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 10-12, 11-8).
Egyptians in form
Men’s Doubles Preliminary Round Two
Egypt’s Youssef Abdel-Aziz and Mahmoud Helmy afforded the most impressive performance of all in the second men’s doubles preliminary round. They beat the Belgium combination of Thibault Darcis and Valentin Pieraert in three straight games, each game convincing (11-2, 11-7, 11-6).
Conversely the closest contest was the win posted by the French pairing of Irvin Bertrand and Leo de Nodrest. They needed the full five games to beat the Czech Republic’s Tomas Konecny and Tregler (11-1, 9-11, 2-11, 11-9, 11-7).
Close Contests
Women’s Singles Preliminary Round
Hard fought contests were very much the order of proceedings. Hungary’s Bernadett Balint was extended the full distance by Nolwenn Fort of France (11-8, 14-12, 11-3, 6-11, 13-15, 8-11, 11-9). Likewise, Russia’s Olga Vishniakova and Irina Ermakova needed the full seven games in order to book their main draw places.
Olga Vishniakova overcame the Czech Republic’s Katerina Tomanovska (12-14, 8-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6), Irina Ermakova ended the hopes of Audrey Zarif of France (11-6, 12-10, 7-11, 5-11, 11-6, 9-11, 13-11).
Players in Form
Men’s Singles Group Stage
Aspiring young European players, the Czech Republic’s Stanislav Kucera, Belgium’s Laurens Devos and Frenchman Bastian Rembert all ended the initial qualification stage of the men’s singles event on a high note. Each secured first place by beating the highest rated player in their group.
Stanislav Kucera accounted for Argentina’s Nicolas Galvano (11-2, 12-10, 11-7); Laurens Devos overcame Italy’s Jordy Piccolin (15-13, 11-9, 11-3), Bastien Rembert ended the hopes of Ukraine’s Oleksandr Didukh (11-9, 11-5, 11-8).
Inspired Performances
Men’s Singles Group Stage
Japan’s Yusuke Sadamatsu, Chinese Taipei’s Lee Chia-Sheng and Egypt’s Mahmoud Helmy all attracted the attention as play in the qualification phase of the men’s singles event advanced; all beat the highest rated players in their respective groups to maintain their unbeaten record and reserve first places.
Yusuke Sadamatsu beat Canada’s Marko Medjugorac (12-10, 8-11, 11-6, 11-2), Lee Chia-Sheng accounted for India’s Raj Mondal (11-5, 11-7, 13-11); Mahmoud Helmy ended any hopes harboured by Nicholas Tio of the United States (12-10, 15-13, 8-11, 12-10).
Leading Names Progress
Men’s Singles Group Stage
The top two names in the men’s singles qualification tournament both reserved main draw places.
Unbeaten the previous day, Denmark’s Tobias Rasmussen concluding his initial phase itinerary by beating Portugal’s José Pedro Francisco (11-4, 11-7, 11-7); Frenchman Joe Seyfried accounted for Belgium’s Valentin Pieraert (12-10, 11-3, 11-2).
Surprise defeat for Adrian Crisan
Men’s Singles Group Stage
Listed at no.200 on the current world rankings and third highest rated player on duty in the qualification stage of the men’s singles event, Romania’s Adrian Crisan was beaten by Germany’s Steffen Mengel, named at no.514, in his concluding contest (8-11, 11-7, 14-12, 6-11, 11-6).
Having beaten Austria’s Christian Friedrich the previous day (7-11, 11-3, 12-10, 11-5), Steffen Mengel duly emerged the player to top the group and progress the main draw.
English star unstoppable
Women’s Singles Group Stage
Maria Tsaptsinos has topped Group 16 in the race for the Women’s Singles event, posting her third win of the qualification campaign with a fine outing against Slovak challenger Monika Urikova (11-7, 11-3, 11-3). Finishing second in the group Monika Urikova is still in with a shot of reaching the main draw but will need to defeat Brazil’s Jessica Yamada to do so.
Adina Diaconu shows great resolve
Women’s Singles Group Stage
There was good news for the Romanian camp in Guadalajara after Adina Diaconu registered her second success of the Women’s Singles group stage, prevailing over Germany’s Vivien Scholz (7-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-9) and there was another Romanian victory achieved by Arina Singeorzan who accounted for Dutch opponent Sanne De Hoop (11-7, 11-6, 11-5).
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Difficult start but Belgian competitor fights on
Under 21 Men’s Singles Group Stage
Valentin Pieraert has emerged undefeated from his Under 21 Men’s Singles qualification group, claiming his second victory of the campaign to advance as Group 4 winner. Losing the first game by the narrowest of margins Belgium’s Valentin Pieraert responded with three consecutive game wins to see off Serbia’s Aleksa Gacev by a 3-1 score-line (9-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9).
Ana Garcia recovers to seal top spot
Under 21 Women’s Singles Group Stage
There were scenes of celebration for Spain at the Palacio Multiusos de Guadalajara after Ana Garcia produced an impressive comeback from 1-2 down to beat France’s Nolwenn Fort 3-2 (11-6, 11-13, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5), topping Group 5 in the process.
However, for Ana Garcia’s fellow compatriot Marina Niguez there was disappointment as she lost out to Hungarian rival Orsolya Feher (11-8, 11-3, 11-6), who progressed to the main draw ahead of the Spaniard.
Second day of qualifying
Players are returning to the tables for a second day of qualification action in Guadalajara – take a look at the fixture schedule for the day ahead:
Memories of Rio de Janeiro
Men’s Singles Group Stage
Winner on the ITTF World Tour in 2005 in Rio de Janeiro when accounting for Germany’s Peter Franz, Romania’s Adrian Crisan, now 38 years old, proved his talents were as sharp as ever. In his opening contest in the men’s singles event he beat Austria’s Christian Friedrich in four games (11-8, 6-11, 13-11, 11-7).
An ideal start for Adrian Crisan, the third highest ranked player on initial phase duty, it was the same for the top two names in their opening encounters. Denmark’s Tobias Rasmussen beat Spain’s Javier Soria (11-1, 11-9, 11-7), Frenchman Joe Seyfried accounted for Hungary’s Sebestyen Kovacs (11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 11-6).
Prominent names suffer opening defeats
Men’s Singles Group Stage
Italy’s Marco Rech Daldosso and Spain’s Carlos Franco, both the highest rated in their respective groups, experienced surprise defeats in the initial men’s singles encounters. Marco Rech Daldosso was beaten by Romania’s Bogdan Singeorzan (5-11, 11-5, 6-11, 14-12, 11-9); Carlo Franco suffered at the hands of Russia’s Andrey Semenov (11-6, 11-8, 11-7).
Currently on the men’s world rankings, Marco Rech Daldosso is listed at no.191, Bogdan Singeorzan at no.649; similarly, Carlos Franco is named at no.221, Andrey Semenov at no.775.
Success for Latin America
Women’s Singles Group Stage
Puerto Rico’s Melanie Diaz, Argentina’s Camila Arguelles and Mexico’s Yadira Silva all secured first places in their respective groups.
Melanie Diaz recovered from a two games to nil deficit to beat Slovenia’s Ana Tofant (10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-5), Camila Arguelles overcame Romania’s Arina Singeorzan (8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 14-12), Yadira Silva overcame Tanja Helle of the Netherlands (11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 9-11, 11-2).
First places assured
Under 21 Men’s Singles Group Stage
Italy’s Daniele Pinto, Frenchman Jules Rolland and Slovenia’s Peter Hribar, the leading names in the group stage of the under 21 men’s singles event all concluded matters unbeaten and thus in first positions
However, for the next in line, it was the end of the road; having earlier in the day lost to Serbia’s Aleksa Gacev (11-9, 7-11, 11-5, 13-11); Chile’s David Valenzuela was beaten by Belgium’s Valentin Pieraert (11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 11-7). Likewise, as the second series of matches in the initial phase advanced, there was defeat for a further name who started play the highest rated in his group. Switzerland’ Lars Poch suffered against Tian Ye of the United States (11-1, 11-7, 11-6).
On track for repeat
Under 21 Women’s Singles Group Stage
Winner of the Under 21 Women’s Singles title earlier in the month in Gondomar, Romania’s Adina Diaconu made the best possible start in her quest for similar honours in Guadalajara. In her opening contest in the event she beat Slovakia’s Monika Urikova in straight games (11-4, 11-5, 11-6).
Likewise there was opening success for the other leading names on group phase duty. Slovenia’s Ana Tofant beat Portugal’s Raquel Andrade (11-6, 11-8, 12-10, Hungary’s Orsolya Feher overcame Colombia’s Maria José Aguilar (11-4, 11-7, 11-5). In a similar vein, Nolwenn Fort of France accounted for Malta’s Sascha Genovese (11-5, 11-4, 11-4).
Local Payers in Form
Men’s Singles Group Stage
Commencing the day the lowest rated players in their respective men’s singles groups; the host nation’s Javier Soria, Miguel Nuñez and Javier Benito all upset the order of merit in their opening contests.
Javier Soria beat Portugal’s José Pedro Francisco (5-11, 16-14, 5-11, 11-8, 11-3); similarly Miguel Nuñez accounted for Austria’s Narayan Kapolnek (14-12, 11-6, 11-9), Javier Benito beat Argentina’s Francisco Sanchi (11-7, 11-8, 11-8).
Shock defeat for French competitor
Women’s Singles Group Stage
Audrey Zarif did not enjoy the start she was hoping for in the women’s singles group stage as the French player, ranked no.139 in the world, lost out to Russia’s Ekaterina Guseva, no.460, by a 3-1 score-line (11-7, 5-11, 11-5, 11-9).
The other French players in action, Nolwenn Fort and Yuan Jia Nan both came away with victories to their names, beating Belgium’s Nathalie Marchetti (11-9, 7-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8) and Slovak Republic’s Nikoleta Puchovanova (11-5, 11-2, 11-6) respectively.
Offiong Edem posts winning start
Women’s Singles Group Stage
The first Nigerian to take to the table in Guadalajara, Offiong Edem enjoyed a fine introduction to the qualification tournament for the women’s singles event. Despite suffering an opening game defeat, Offiong Edem hit back to see off Portuguese opponent Raquel Andrade across four games (8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-8).
Latin American stars excel
Women’s Singles Group Stage
In the first round of senior action Argentina’s Camila Arguelles and Mexico’s Yadira Silva opened their accounts on a positive note, beating Sanne De Hoop of the Netherlands (11-8, 11-6, 11-4) and Russia’s Irina Ermakova (12-10, 10-12, 11-9, 7-11, 14-12) while Puerto Rico’s Melanie Diaz also prevailed in her meeting with Rheann Chung (11-3, 11-7, 11-7).
Victory from the jaws of defeat
Under 21 Men’s Singles Group Stage
Dimitris Kordoutis experienced a roller coaster of emotions in his opening under 21 men’s singles fixture in Guadalajara: determined to come away with a winning start the Greek representative refused to throw in the towel at 0-2 down, producing a remarkable comeback with three consecutive game wins to see off USA’s Tian Ye (5-11, 7-11, 11-3, 14-12, 16-14).
Solid start for Spanish hopefuls
Under 21 Women’s Singles Group Stage
Spectators in Guadalajara witnessed two victories for the host nation in the opening session of the day as Marina Niguez and Ana Garcia posted straight games successes over Colombia’s Maria Jose Aguiar (11-4, 11-9, 11-8) and Malta’s Sascha Genovese (11-5, 11-4, 11-5) in the Under 21 Women’s Singles event.
Players take to the tables
It’s time for the first qualification fixtures to take place in Guadalajara – grab a look at the action scheduled for the opening day below:
