Eurosib Russian Open
Seeking Improved Form
The top seeds in both the Men’s Singles and Women’s
Singles events at the Eurosib Russian Open, being staged from
Thursday 18th to Sunday 21st October 2007 in St Petersburg,
will be seeking a return to form.
Number one seed in the Men’s Singles competition is
Germany’s Timo Boll, who missed the World Team Cup in
Magdeburg through illness but one week ago at the Liebherr
Men’s World Cup emerged as the leading European player.
The German finished in fourth place but when confronted with
Chinese opposition found life very difficult. He beat Vladimir
Samsonov of Belarus in the quarters, the number two seed in
St Petersburg, before losing in the semi-finals to the eventual
winner Wang Hao and to his Chinese national team colleague,
Wang Liqin, in the bronze medal duel.
Against both Chinese stars Timo Boll lost in straight games.
The German has not won on the ITTF Pro Tour in 2007; his
closest was the final of the Men’s Singles event at
the Chinese Taipei Open in August, the player to beat him
was Vladimir Samsonov.
However, if the two are to reach their seeded position in
the final they will have to be on top form. China’s
outstandingly talented Chen Qi is seeded three, he is in the
same half of the draw as Timo Boll whilst Singapore’s
Gao Ning is seeded four. He is one of the most improved players
in the past year and is in the same half of the draw as Vladimir
Samsonov.
Vladimir Samsonov was below his best at the Liebherr Men’s
World Cup in Barcelona as was Li Jia Wei in the Volkswagen
Women’s World Cup and Tie Yana in the World Team Cup.
They are the top two seeds in the Women’s Singles event
in St Petersburg.
In the Volkswagen Women’s World Cup in September Li
Jia Wei failed to progress beyond the group stage, whilst
in the Women’s World Team Cup one week later, Tie Yana
did not win any of her singles contests.
Li Jia Wei is the defending champion in St Petersburg and
is in the same half of the draw as the player she beat in
the final one year ago, her compatriot, the third seed Wang
Yue Gu. Meanwhile, seeded four is Japan’s Ai Fukuhara;
she is in the same half of the draw as Tie Yana, the player
against whom she lost in the Women’s Singles final at
the Liebherr Brazil Open in April.
Play starts on Thursday 18th October 2007 with the qualification
stage of the Men’s and Women’s Singles events;
matches in the main draw commence on Friday 19th October 2007.
The Eurosib Russian Open is the thirteenth tournament on
the ITTF Pro Tour in 2007.
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"Source:
ITTF Press Release