by Ian Marshall, Editor
You could not wish for two more celebrated players to start a tournament; moreover, surely this is history. Has it ever happened before that the top two seeds in the respective men’s singles and women’s singles events at a World Championships have ever played in the very first match? I am sure the answer is in the negative!
Equally in the men’s singles qualification tournament we see celebrated names on first day duty, England’s Paul Drinkhall and Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro have enjoyed ITTF World Tour success, Korea Republic’s Park Gangyheon and Germany’s Bastian Steger have both ITTF Challenge Series titles to their credit. All are on first day duty by one name stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Plagued by injury since sensationally securing bronze at the Volkswagen 2005 World Championships in Shanghai, Denmark’s Michael Maze starts his quest on the opening day, he plays Norway’s Adrian Wetzel. Spare a thought for Adrian Wetzel, in the same group is Serbia’s Aleksandar Karakasevic. Name two left handers who have a better feeling for a table tennis ball than Michael Maze and Aleksandar Karakasevic and you would not need the fingers of one hand; in fact forget the thumb!
Moreover; remember Aleksandar Karakasevic at the 1997 World Championships in Manchester; he caused a sensation by ousting China’s Liu Guoliang, at the time the reigning Olympic champion!
Additionally, there are names to note on first day women’s singles duty; the runner up on the 2004 World Tour in Denmark, Germany’s Kristin Lang, will be in action, as will Switzerland’s Rachel Moret, successful in Chile in 2016. Also, note the Romanian names Daniela Monteiro Dodean and Adina Diaconu. Earlier this year Adina Diaconu was the runner up at the Seamaster 2019 ITTF Challenge Series Spanish Open; Daniela Dodean has no less than six ITTF World Tour Under 21 Women’s Singles titles to her name.
Similarly, Lithuania’s Ruta Paskaiskiene, former European champion, competes on the opening day, as does Nigeria’s Olufunke Oshonaike, three times African champion.
The list goes on and on; for the opening day, it is not only a feast of action, it is a day of history.
