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Rising Polish Star Ousts Top Seed

Poland’s twenty-one year old Li Qian was the player to cause the biggest upset at the Slovenian Open in Velenje on Friday 18th January 2008; using her defensive style of play to good effect she beat Austria’s Liu Jia, the number on seed, at the quarter-final stage of the Women’s Singles event.

Defeat for the top seed and a close call for the second seed in the round of the last eight. Li Jiao of the Netherlands was extended the full seven games distance by Luxembourg’s Ni Xia Lian in what was a repeat of the Women’s Singles final at the Liebherr European Championships in March 2007.

At the semi-final stage Li Qian meets Veronika Pavlovich of Belarus who recorded a seven games quarter-final victory over Italy’s Laura Negrisoli, whilst Li Jiao faces Russia’s Irina Kotikhina, the victor at the same stage over Poland’s Xu Jie.

Defeat for the top seed in the Women’s Singles event whilst in the Men’s Singles competition it was the number three seed who made an earlier than predicted exit. Chinese Taipei’s Chuan Chih-Yuan was beaten in seven games by Germany’s nineteen year old Dimitrij Ovtcharov, arguably the most improved player on the ITTF Pro Tour in 2007.

In the penultimate round he meets top seed, Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus who overcame Romania’s Adrian Crisan in the quarters in a contest that went the full seven games distance.

Meanwhile, in the lower half of the draw the man to raise the eyebrows was Portugal’s João Monteiro who had to compete in the qualification competition earlier in the week to gain entry to the main draw. At the quarter-final stage he maintained his outstanding form to beat Hong Kong’s Leung Chu Yan and now meets second seed, Leung Chu Yan’s compatriot, Li Ching in the semis.

In the quarter-finals Li Ching accounted for Belgian hero, Jean-Michel Saive in six games.

Meanwhile, in the doubles event only one of the top four seeded pairs to remains standing, Chinese Taipei duo of Chang Yen-Shu and Chiang Peng-Lunjg; seeded two in the Men’s Doubles event they meet Russia’s Dimitrij Mazunov and Alexei Smirnov in the final, the pair who finished in fourth place in the Men’s Doubles event at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

A place in the final for the second men’s seeds but no place for the highly rated pairings in the Women’s Doubles gold medal contest where players from the Netherlands face each other, Li Jiao partners Spain’s Zhu Fang whilst Li Jie is in harness with Russia’s Irina Kotikhina.

In the two events to be concluded on Friday 18th January 2008, France’s Emmanuel Lebesson beat Ukraine’s Kou Lei to win the Under 21 Men’s Singles crown, whilst in an all Romanian final Daniela Dodean overcame doubles partner Elizabeta Samara to capture the counterpart female title.