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Liebherr German Open

Favourites Progress in Bremen

The players who just missed out on a place in the main draw, duly progressed safely through the qualification stages of the Men’s and Women’s Singles events at the Liebherr German Open in Bremen on Thursday 8th November 2007.

However, in the Men’s Singles event securing that place was by no means a foregone conclusion. Russia’s Stanislav Golovanov and Luxembourg’s Gilles Michely, two players who have been regular competitors on the ITTF World Junior Circuit in recent years plus the rapidly improving Indian, Anirban Nandi, caused their more senior adversaries problems.

Sweden’s Jens Lundqvist, the highest world ranked player in the qualification stage of the Men’s Singles event, needed six games to beat Stanislav Golovanov as did Serbia’s Aleksandar Karakasevic against Gilles Michely and Austria’s Robert Gardos when overcoming Anirban Nandi.

The one player in the higher echelons who proceeded without a bead of perspiration dripping from his brow was Slovenia’s Bojan Tokic; he received a walk-over against the absent Indonesian, Muhammed Hussein.

Tough matches in the qualification stage of the Men’s Singles event for the favourites to proceed and for three of the leading ladies it was also testing time.

Italy’s Nikoleta Stefanova, the second highest world ranked player on duty was extended the full seven games distance by Russia’s Anastasia Voronova whilst also there were tough tests for both the Dominican Republic’s Wu Xue and Romania’s Daniela Dodean. The next two highest world ranked players on duty; both needed six games to record respective wins against Poland’s Monika Pietkiewicz and Slovakia’s Lenka Kmotorkova.

Tough examinations for Nikoleta Stefanova, Wu Xue and Daniela Dodean but not for the highest world ranked player in action.

Japan’s Reiko Hiura secured her passage to the main draw with a straight games win over the Czech Republic’s Katerina Penkavova.

Success for the top four players and for one other notable name; China’s Cao Zhen, the winner of the Women’s Singles title at the Liebherr German Open in 2005, she finished her group matches in top place and in the preliminary round overcame Germany’s Amelie Solja to progress to the main draw.

Cao Zhen was required to compete in the qualification stage as she has not competed internationally since playing in the Volkswagen Open Japan in September 2006, the result being that her world ranking has lapsed.