by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

Ho Kwan Kit, the top seed, beat Portugal’s Diogo Chen in four games (11-2, 13-11, 9-11, 11-9); Liao Cheng-Ting, the no.2 seed, accounted for Belgium’s Martin Allegro in a similar manner (11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5).

Likewise, Yuto Kizukuri, the no.4 seed, emerged successful with the loss of just one game (11-6, 10-12, 11-7, 11-5) but for Xue Fei, the no.4 seed and the winner recently at the Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour Hybiome Austria Open, life was much more testing. He needed the full five games to end the hopes of Chinese Taipei’s Sun Chia-Hung (11-6, 11-5, 11-13, 10-12, 11-4).

A close call, there was also a close call for Frenchman, Andrea Landrieu, the no.12 seed and winner earlier this year at the 2017 ITTF Challenge Series Brazil Open; he needed the full five to games to beat the host nation’s Tobias Hippler (12-10, 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6).

Testing times but the examination passed; conversely Japan’s Tonin Ryuzaki, Hong Kong’s Ng Pak Nam and Germany’s Kilian Ort did nor gained the required grades. All suffered unexpected first round Under 21 Men’s Singles defeats.

Tonin Ryuzaki, the no.8 seed, was beaten by Austria’s Andreas Levenko (11-7, 7-11, 12-10, 7-11, 13-11), Ng Pak Nam, the no.10 seed, suffered at the hands of Frenchman, Joe Seyfried (11-7, 16-14, 11-5); Kilian Ort, the no.13 seed, lost to Hungary’s Bence Majoros.

Play in the second round of the Under 21 Men’s Singles event continues later in the day.