by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Manager
In the Junior Boys’ Doubles event, Argentina’s Martin Bentancor and Leandro Fuentes, the no.2 seeds, experienced a second round defeat at the hands of China’s Gao Yang and Wang Tiankuo (11-13, 12-10, 11-9, 11-13, 11-3), who in the very next round lost to Germany’s Meng Fanbo and Jannik Xu (9-11, 11-13, 11-9, 11-6, 11-9).
Victory for the German duo but their progress was also short lived; at the quarter-final stage they were beaten by Japan’s Kazuki Hamada and Hiroto Shinozuka, the no.5 seeds (16-14, 11-6, 11-6).
Similarly, for Austria’s Maciej Kolodziejczyk and Jonas Plomberger, the no.3 seeds, it was an earlier than anticipated exit, they suffered against Germany’s Sven Hennig and Cedric Meissner, the no.9 seeds (6-11, 11-6, 11-2, 10-12, 11-2) in round three. A hard fought win for the German pair, in the next round it was very much the same scenario. They reserved their penultimate round place courtesy of success in opposition to the combination of Ireland’s Owen Cathcart and Borgar Haug of the Netherlands (12-10, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4).
Defeat for Maciej Kolodziejczyk and Jonas Plomberger, one round later at the quarter-final stage it was the same outcome for Japan’s Kakeru Sone and Hayate Suzuki, the no.4 seeds, they departed proceedings, losing to Singapore’s Beh Kun Ting and Pang Yew En Koen, the no.6 seeds (11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-4).
At the semi-final stage, Sven Hennig and Cedric Meissner meet Japan’s Aoto Asazu and Takeru Kashiwa, the top seeds; Beh Kun Ting and Pang Yew En Koen confront Kazuki Hamada and Hiroto Shinozuka.
Meanwhile, in the Junior Girls’ Doubles event at the quarter-final stage, highly rated Russian pairs bid farewell. Kristina Kasantseva and Ekaterina Zironova, the top seeds, lost to Germany’s Anastasia Bondareva and Tu Wenna, the no.13 seeds (13-11, 6-11, 11-7, 3-11, 11-8); Elizabet Abraamian and Arina Slautina, the no.4 seeds, found an in form partnership in the guise of Camille Lutz of France and Celia Silva, the no.11 seeds (9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4, 11-6).
A semi-final place for Anastasia Bondareva and Tu Wenna but conversely there was defeat for Germany contrary to predictions; Franziska Schreiner and Laura Tiefenbrunner, the no.2 seeds, experienced a second round reverse when facing Singapore’s Liu Sijia and Zhou Jingyi (11-7, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6).
However, the euphoria was soon over; in the next round the Singaporeans lost to the host nation’s Ellen Holmsten and Christina Källberg, the no.10 seeds (11-9, 10-12, 11-3, 11-9) who in turn caused Russia more pain. They beat Anna Dmitrieva and Luibov Tetser (11-6, 10-12, 11-3, 7-11, 11-4).
At the penultimate round Anastasia Bondereva and Tu Wenna meet Yumeno Soma and Yukari Sugasawa; in the opposite half of the draw, Camille Lutz and Celia Silva confront Ellen Holmsten and Christina Källberg.
Both the Junior Boys’ Doubles and Junior Girls’ Doubles events will be played to a conclusion on Thursday 22nd February.
