by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor
Laura Gasnier accounted for Luxembourg’s Sarah de Nutte, the no.28 seed (5-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-9, 14-12); Lee Eunhye overcame Austria’s Sofia Polcanova, the no.7 seed (8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-7), whilst Park Joohyun ended the aspirations of Hungary’s Dora Madarasz (6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-2, 13-11).
Success for three qualifiers but not for the others who had caused opening round upsets; the second round was the termination of adventures with Puerto Rican sisters Adriana Diaz and Melanie Diaz experiencing mixed fortunes.
Melanie Diaz, who had negotiated the qualification stage was beaten by Thailand’s Suthasini Sawettabut, the no.8 seed (11-7, 11-6, 11-8, 11-1); conversely Adriana Diaz, the no.16 seed, overcame the defensive skills of Sweden’s Linda Bergström, also a qualifier (11-4, 4-11, 8-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-8).
The end of adventures for Linda Bergström, it was the same for six further qualifiers.
India’s Madhurika Patkar experienced defeat when facing Britt Eerland of the Netherlands, the no.11 seed (8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 10-12, 11-6, 11-8). Likewise, Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yu-Chiao departed at the hands of Russia’s Polina Mikhailova, the no.6 seed (11-5, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6); Hong Kong’s Lam Ye Lok suffered against Japan’s Honoka Hashimoto, the no.5 seed (11-5, 11-7, 11-4, 11-2).
Success for Polina Mikhailova but for her colleagues, who had caused initial round upsets, it was defeat. Sweden’s Matilda Ekholm, the no.2 seed, beat Olga Vorobeva (11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 8-11, 12-10, 11-5); Canada’s Zhang Mo, the no.12 seed, overcame Mariia Tailakova (11-6, 11-7, 11-4, 13-11).
Outcomes as anticipated but there were two results contrary to seeding. The all Russian duel saw Ana Tokhomirova, the no.17 seed, overcome Yana Noskova, the no.13 seed, in the closest match of the round (8-11, 8-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5, 15-13); whilst rather more comfortably Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Hsien-Tu, the no.23 seed, beat the Czech Republic’s Renata Strbikova, the no.15 seed (11-9, 11-4, 11-6, 11-4).
Surprises but there were no such surprises amongst the leading names.
In addition to Matilda Ekholm, Japan’s Hitomi Sato, the top seed, beat Hungary’s Szandra Pergel (11-8, 11-9, 11-3, 11-8); Romania’s Elizabeta Samara, the no.3 seed, accounted for India’s Mainika Batra (11-4, 11-4, 11-7, 6-11, 7-11, 13-11), whilst Georgina Pota, like Szandra Pergel from Hungary, ended the hopes of the host nation. She beat Alex Galic (11-6, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5).
The third round and quarter-finals of the Women’s Singles event will be played on Saturday 29th April
