by Simon Daish
Liu Shiwen has endured a few ups and downs over the past year, but has been working hard to restore her name at the very top of the game and is looking to leave Düsseldorf with her first World Championships trophy in the Women’s Singles category.
Second seed Liu Shiwen has been handed a difficult encounter against Korea Republic’s ever reliable Suh Hyowon in the Round of 32. With Liu Shiwen’s powerful attacking mentality and Suh Hyowon’s amazing defensive skills, spectators are bound to be treated to a wonderful duel between the two players.
Fans who enjoy watching the aggressive style of player take on a contestant who makes use of an impressive controlled game should take note of Lily Zhang’s meeting with Li Jie.
Lily Zhang, who represents the United States of America, left the home crowd stunned on Day Three after she eliminated Sabine Winter with a stylish performance. Will the 20-year-old claim another surprise victory on Day Four? Or will Li Jie use her patient approach to her advantage?
We have an extremely interesting tie on our hands in the Men’s Singles competition as the sixth seed Jun Mizutani takes on the young prodigy Tomokazu Harimoto in an all-Japan Round of 64 encounter.
13-year-old Tomokazu Harimoto is quickly becoming one of the most exciting table tennis players on the planet and is making new fans every day with his fiery attitude and amazing talent, but can he pull off what would arguably be one of his strongest results to date with an upset victory against Jun Mizutani? Or has this match come slightly too soon for the teenage star?
Down in the lower half of the draw the sole remaining Englishman left in the Men’s Singles event, Paul Drinkhall, will attempt to achieve the unimaginable and topple Dimitrij Ovtcharov in front of his home supporters.
Despite entering the tie with the odds stacked against him Paul Drinkhall emerged victorious over the German competitor in 2014, and Dimitrij Ovtcharov most certainly won’t be underestimating his Round of 64 opponent in Düsseldorf.
Alongside the singles action, there are a couple of mouth-watering doubles fixtures set to go ahead on Day Four.
The Men’s Doubles competition will host a mesmerising Round of 16 clash between the all-star mixed nationality team of Timo Boll and Ma Long, and the third seeded Chinese partnership of Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin. One major pairing will progress while the other will exit; drama is guaranteed.
There is also a huge encounter in the Women’s Doubles draw which is worth following very closely, as China’s Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen go head-to-head against Japan’s Miu Hirano and Kasumi Ishikawa for a spot in the quarter-finals.
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