Doha: Austrian ping pong players Daniel Habesohn and Robert Gardos shocked their higher ranked opponents to enter the men’s singles quarter-finals as seeds continued to tumble at the GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour Qatar Open in Doha.
Yesterday, at the Women’s Sports Community Hall, qualifier Habesohn stunned South Korea’s, Cho Eonrae, the seventh seed in six games with a 11-4, 14-12, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 11-5 score-line.
The Austrian drew the confidence from his performance in the qualifying stage.
“In the second round of the preliminary stage I beat Robert Floras in seven games, a close match; that win really gave me confidence”, said Habesohn.
He had won a cliff-hanger; he beat Robert Floras by the minimal two-point margin in the deciding seventh game (9-11, 6-11, 11-7, 14-12, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9).
“Today when I woke up I felt good but in the fourth game against Cho Eonrae I started to feel dizzy”, explained Daniel Habesohn. “The umpire said I had to continue playing but at the end of the game I took a medical time out and I laid on the floor for five minutes; now I feel fine.”
Later his compatriot, 11th seed Gardos defeated Hong Kong’s Tang Peng, the fifth seed in seven games - 11-9, 11-6, 11-9, 1-11, 10-12, 11-7.
The brilliant campaign by Qatar’s Li Ping lasted till the last-16 stage as he fell against World No.10 Marcos Freitas of Portugal. But it was not an easy sailing for the third seed as the Qatari player put up a gallant fight before going down 11-7, 2-11, 11-9, 9-11, 5-11, 7-11 in a six-game thriller.
Meanwhile, notable names also fell in women’s singles as winner of the recent NN Table Tennis Club 2015 Europe Top 16 tournament and the runner up one year ago in Doha, Austria’s Liu Jia, suffered defeat in the second round.
Occupying the fourth seeded position in the draw, she was beaten in five games by Korea’s Yang Haeun, the No.10 seed (10-12, 11-9, 12-10, 12-10, 11-6).
Liu Jia was not the only notable name to experience a reverse result against a lower rated player. Korea’s Seo Hyowon, the No.2 seed, was beaten by Germany’s Wu Jiaduo, the No.13 seed 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8); whilst Hong Kong’s Fu Yu, the No.6 seed, experienced defeat at the hands of Hong Kong’s Jiang Huajun, the No.15 seed.
Defeat in their opening contest in the preliminary stage one week earlier in Kuwait; one week later in Doha it is totally different story for Brazil’s Hugo Calderano and Gustavo Tsuboi.
Occupying the No.8 seeded position in the draw; at the semi-final stage of the men’s doubles event, they excelled expectations.
They beat the combination of Croatia’s Tan Ruiwu and Poland’s Wang Zengi, the No.5 seeds and reigning European champions to book their place in the final with a 11-7, 11-8, 11-9 win in straight games.THE PENINSULA
