Top four advance
Men’s Singles – Round Two
The top four names all negotiated the second round of the men’s singles event, the Chinese trio of Fan Zhendong, Xu Xin and Lin Gaoyuan alongside Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto were very much in control.
Fan Zhendong beat Portugal’s João Monteiro (11-6, 11-7, 11-2, 11-8), Xu Xin accounted for Stefan Fegerl (11-3, 11-3, 11-7, 11-1), Similarly, Lin Gaoyuan overcame Slovenia’s Bojan Tokic (11-8, 11-9, 12-10, 11-7), Tomokazu Harimoto ended the hopes of Sweden’s Jon Persson (11-5, 11-7, 11-7, 11-5)
Ma Long on course
Men’s Singles – Round Two
Defending champion China’s Ma Long duly booked his place in the third round; he beat Kanak Jha of the United States in five games (8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 14-12, 11-6)
“I had never played against him before but I watched his match footage and I had practised with him. He is a strong player with a unique style. I came here fully prepared. I was 3-0 ahead in the first game but later I made some unforced errors which gave him a chance. After the first game, I played better.” Ma Long
Keeping African hopes alive
Men’s Singles Round Two
Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna, the no.22 seed, beat Iran’s Nina Alamian, the no.51 seed, to keep African hopes alive; in a tension packed seven games contest he emerged successful by the minimal two point margin in the decider (9-11, 12-10, 13-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-13, 12-10).
“I think this is the toughest match I ever played this year, we both knew each other well. We practised together at same camp before the competition and I had also told my coach that it is going to be a 50:50 game for me. I found it difficult to return his service because I could not understand it but I managed throughout and I am happy winning at this stage.” Quadri Aruna
“When I won the first game I was confident that I could win the match but I made a lot of mistakes and we must also acknowledge that he is ranked higher than me and he is good player. It was painful losing the final game at 12-10 after fighting from 5-0 down in the seventh game to level at 10-10.” Nima Alamian
Chinese quartet make intentions clear
Women’s Singles – Round Two
The respective top four seeds, China’s Ding Ning, Chen Meng, Wang Manyu and Liu Shiwen all emerged successful in their second round encounters in most convincing manners.
Ding Ning beat Luxembourg’s Sarah de Nutte (11-9, 9-11, 13-11, 11-5, 11-4), Chen Meng overcame Singapore’s Lin Ye (11-6, 11-4, 11-7, 11-8). Likewise, Wang Manyu accounted for the Czech Republic’s Karin Adamkova (11-6, 11-1, 11-9, 11-5); Liu Shiwen ended the hopes of Hana Matelova, also from the Czech Republic (11-2, 11-6, 12-10, 11-4).
Dora Madarasz flies Hungarian flag
Women’s Singles Round Two
Recovering from three games to one in arrears, Dora Madarasz caused a major upset to book her place in the third round of the women’s singles event.
The no.53 seed, she accounted for Li Jie of the Netherlands, the no.22 seed (11-3, 8-11, 8-11, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-4)
First for Latin America
Women’s Singles – Round Three
Adriana Diaz, the no.26 seed, beat India’s Sutirtha Mukherjee (4-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-9) to become not only the first player from Puerto Rico but the first from Latin America to reach the third round or last 16 of a women’s singles event at a World Championships.
“I lost the first game, she started very well, she just smashed every ball; I tried to stay calm and be ready for a long match. She uses long pimpled rubber on the backhand, so I didn’t play too fast, slowly with heavy topspin. She returned my services well, so that gave me some concerns.” Adriana Diaz
Düsseldorf silver medallists fall
Men’s Doubles – Round Two
Runners up two years ago in Düsseldorf and the top seeds in Budapest, Japan’s Masataka Morizono and Yuya Oshima experienced a shock defeat at the hands of the French pairing form by Tristan Flore and Emmanuel Lebesson, the no.22 seeds.
They were beaten by the very narrowest of margins in a full distance seven games encounter (11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 13-15, 11-6, 6-11, 11-9).
Hong Kong duo in impressive form
Men’s Doubles Round Two
Facing potentially difficult opponents, Hong Kong’s Ho Kwan Kit and Wong Chun Ting, the no.2 seeds, responded. They beat Iranian brothers Nima Alamian and Noshad Alamiyan in four straight games (12-10, 11-9, 11-5, 11-2,
Similarly there was success for Korea Republic’s Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu, the no.3 seeds, as there was for Sweden’s Mattias Falck and Kristian Karlsson, the no.4 seeds. Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu beat Chile’s Nicolas Burgos and Felipe Olivares (12-10, 11-3, 11-4, 11-4); Mattias Falck and Kristian Karlsson overcame Singapore’s Clarence Chew and Ethan Poh Shao Feng (11-6, 11-4, 11-9, 11-9)
Finding harmony
Men’s Doubles – Round Two
China’s Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan, the no.8 seeds, displayed the clear fact that they are developing a very quick understanding; they beat Pavel Platonov and Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus, the no.26 seeds, in five games (11-5, 9-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-8).
“This is first time pairing with each other. We were a bit nervous at the beginning. Vladi is a very experienced player and they played some good rallies. We also came here well prepared.” Lin Gaoyuan
Japanese pairs assert authority
Women’s Doubles – Round Two
Major contenders for honours, Japan’s Hina Hayata and Mima Ito, the top seeds, overcame the combination of Spain’s Maria Xiao and Zhang Mo, the no.21 seeds (11-4, 10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 11-4).
Similarly, colleagues Honoka Hashimoto and Hitomi Sato, the no.3 seeds, emerged successful in opposition to India’s Manika Batra and Archana Girish Kamath, the no.19 seeds (11-3, 11-7, 11-7, 11-4).
Chinese quality prevails
Women’s Doubles – Round Two
China’s Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu, the no.2 seeds, displayed their class. They accounted for Egypt’s Farah Abdel-Aziz and Reem El-Eraky, the no.22 seeds and reigning African champions (11-4, 13-11, 11-5, 11-6).
Not to be overshadowed, Chen Meng and Zhu Yuling, the no.4 seeds, ended the hopes of Luxembourg’s Sarah de Nutte and Ni Xia Lian, the no.18 seeds (11-3, 11-6, 11-5, 11-5
Traditional Rivals
Men’s Singles – Round One
They are the traditional rivals, in Budapest they met, Brazil versus Argentina; the verdict went in favour of the former, Hugo Calderano, the no.7 seed, overcame Horacio Cifuentes in six games (11-6, 9-11, 15-13, 11-7, 7-11, 11-1)
“Brazil versus Argentina; it’s mainly on the football field. Horacio and myself, we are good friends. The second and third games I lost a rhythm to my play, Horacio played well, he started the points very aggressively. In the sixth game I made a good start, he made mistakes.” Hugo Calderano
Encouraging signs for leading Nigerian
Men’s Singles – Round One
Quadri Aruna has made the perfect start to his campaign: at the first hurdle of the men’s singles draw the Nigerian competitor needed just four games to see off Belgium’s Florent Lambiet (11-8, 11-9, 11-7, 11-5). An encouraging start for Aruna – can he continue to build upon it in Budapest?
“It was a very difficult match for me particularly the first two games because we had played each other five years ago when I managed to win 3-2. If I had lost the first two games, it would have been more difficult for me. The first game in any competition is always very hard but I am happy that I won. Despite the victory, I noticed some mistakes in my game which I hope to correct in my next match.” Quadri Aruna
“I came into the match with my tactics but I was surprised that he was playing closer to the table and I could not understand his service. This really gave me a lot of problems; he played very well and he was in form but I made a lot of errors.” Florent Lambiet
Excelling expectations
Men’s Singles – Round One
Sweden’s Truls Moregard maintained the form of earlier in the year when he won the men’s singles elite class at the Safir International. He excelled expectations to beat Hong Kong’s Ho Kwan Kit, the no.64 seed (11-5, 12-10, 11-9, 10-12, 9-11, 11-9).
“I kept to the tactics set before the game, to be aggressive with the return, to go for the long service. However, he managed to come back after being three-nil down. I was little bit nervous but managed to calm down and finish the match.” Truls Moregard
Eventually settled to a rhythm
Men’s Singles Round One
Defence secure, Panagiotis Gionis of Greece, the no.39 seed, booked his second round place. He beat Romania’s Hunor Szocs in five games (11-5, 3-11, 11-13, 8-11, 6-11).
“We have played so many times against each other. I had a shaky start; I needed time to settle into a rhythm; that is why I lost the first game and struggled in second. However, after I took control it was a one way street. Hunor does not play well against my defensive style; I forced him to put many balls on the table and he really got tired. I had a good feeling for the match.” Panagiotis Gionis
Closed the door
Men’s Singles Round One
Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov made a fine start to his campaign. He beat Israel’s Michael Tauber (11-5, 11-8, 15-13, 11-8).
“It is very important here not to lose any game and not give an opportunity to an adversary to come back. There were a few difficult moments, close situations, Tauber risked a lot.” Dimitrij Ovtcharov
Hard fought success
Men’s Singles – Round One
Success for Emmanuel Lebesson of France but for the no.27 seed it was hard work. He needed the full seven games to overcome Pavel Platonov of Belarus (5-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6).
“At one game each I had 9-3 and I lost the third game. It was a very difficult match for me, I had to put three to five balls to the table for each point.” Emmanuel Lebesson
Did you see that coming?
Undoubtedly the biggest upset of the day so far – did you see Wong Chun Ting’s exit coming?
Timo navigates tough opener
Men’s Singles – Round One
Handed a potential banana skin of an opening round tie against Andrej Gacina but German legend Timo Boll wasn’t fazed by the task at hand, defeating his Croatian opponent by a 4-2 score-line (11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 18-16, 7-11, 11-8).
“It is a tough draw to play against Gacina in the first round. We know each other quite well. I have a lot of respect for him. He played very well in the beginning and it was a close game. Luckily I won in the end.” Timo Boll
Another big name falls
Men’s Singles – Round One
Wow! Hot on the tail of Wong Chun Ting’s shock exit we have another major casualty in the men’s singles category, as no.26 seed Chen Chien-An fails to convert a three games to one lead against Czech qualifier Tomas Polansky (11-13, 11-9, 10-12, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8).
Shock exit for Wong Chun Ting!!!
Men’s Singles – Round One
What an upset! The no.14 seed Wong Chun Ting is out of the men’s singles tournament: Facing qualifier Korea Republic’s An Jaehyun in round one the pen-hold grip speciallist from Hong Kong lost out in unprecedented fashion, falling to his Korean counterpart 4-0 (11-3, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9).
Fan Zhendong storms through
Men’s Singles – Round One
As anticipated top seed Fan Zhendong is safely through to the round of 64 after posting a commanding 4-0 victory against Croatia’s Frane Kojic (11-6, 11-5, 11-6, 12-10). Dominant from start to finish – a sign of things to come for Fan Zhendong?
“I played mixed doubles over the last two days so I have become more used to the venue and atmosphere here… My opponent played very aggressively in the fourth game and he played some nice shots; I think this is quiet normal. I just had to focus on myself.” Fan Zhendong
First goal achieved by Korean star
Men’s Singles – Round One
Defeated at the first hurdle two years back in Düsseldorf, Jeoung Youngsik has avoided the same fate in Budapest following a strong outing from the Korea Republic athlete in his round one encounter with Spain’s Jesus Cantero (11-8, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9). Task one complete, in round two the no.21 seed meets Finland’s Benedek Olah.
Forced down to the wire
Men’s Singles – Round One
A player entering the men’s singles event with plenty of optimism but for England’s Liam Pitchford the opening round presented a difficult task. The no.15 seed was pushed all the way by Puerto Rican opponent Brian Afanador (12-10, 5-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-6, 9-11, 12-10). After the match Pitchford vented his frustrations with his performance:
“It was a very tough match for me because I did not find the rhythm of the match as I wasn’t feeling the game at all. I am disappointed with my performance but I am also happy that I won. My opponent had nothing to lose but I hope to pick up from this match and do well in the next match.” Liam Pitchford
Flying Scotsman narrowly misses out on massive upset!
Men’s Singles – Round One
Well, well, well – In a truly staggering affair Scotland’s Gavin Rumgay came to within a whisker of achieving the upset of the tournament so far: trailing 2-3, Sweden’s Kristian Karlsson, seeded 28th, looked set to crash out in shocking style only to raise his game at the crucial moment to squeeze past the Scot by a 4-3 margin (7-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6, 11-4).
Uneasy opening but Harimoto advances
Men’s Singles – Round One
Fourth seed Tomokazu Harimoto is through to the second round of the men’s singles draw but it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Japanese star, who was forced to recover from a game down on his way to a 4-1 win over Poland’s Marek Badowski (8-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-5, 11-6).
Hungarian star falls!!!
Women’s Singles – Round One
Despair for the host nation as the leading name in Hungarian table tennis falls at the first hurdle in Budapest with no.27 seed Georgina Pota exiting to Chinese Taipei’s Liu Hsing-Yin. Fighting back from three games down to bring the scores to within one at 3-2 but the home favourite couldn’t complete the comeback as Liu Hsing-Yin emerged with a 4-2 victory (14-12, 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 6-11, 11-7).
Consistent as usual
Women’s Singles – Round One
Known for her excellent defensive displays and an exceptionally high level of consistency, in round one Korea Republic’s Suh Hyowon eased to a convincing 4-0 win at the expense of Colombia’s Paula Medina (11-7, 11-2, 11-1, 11-5). In round two Suh Hyowon will meet another Latin American in the form of Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi.
Czech qualifier stuns Spanish seed
Women’s Singles – Round One
Required to compete in qualification action but Czech competitor Karin Adamkova has successfully booked her spot in round two of the women’s singles draw following a fantastic 4-1 victory over the no.59 seeded player from Spain, Galia Dvorak (11-4, 9-11, 13-11, 11-4, 11-9).
What TV shows do the stars like to watch?
Have you ever wondered what TV shows are watched by some of the world’s finest table tennis players? Now it’s time to find out:
Needing to believe
Women’s Singles – Round One
Win a close game and confidence blossoms, lose a close game and confidence drains; the latter applied to Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem, the no.11 seed. She lost a dramatic sixth game against Korea Republic’s Yoo Eunchong, before in the seventh leading 9-6, then finding herself level at 9-all, before securing the next two points (7-11, 11-6, 12-14, 11-7, 11-7, 14-16, 11-9).
“After I list the sixth game I thought I was going to lose the match; then in the seventh game I became too passive, I didn’t stay close to the table. Yoo Euchong was good at changing the speed of the play, sometimes slow, sometimes fast.” Doo Hoi Kem
No time to relax
Women’s Singles – Round One
Romania’s Elizabeta Samara, the no.17 seed, appeared in control of proceedings against Italy’s Chiara Colantoni, she established a three games to one lead before her most worthy adversary responded to force decider. Totally focused, Elizabeta Samara dominated the seventh game (4-11, 11-4, 12-10, 11-5, 9-11, 7-11, 11-2).
“I think I just relaxed after the fourth game, she played well, she put the ball on the table, she took some risks; I’m really too sure.” Elizabeta Samara
Host nation success
Women’s Singles – Round One
The host nation’s Szandra Pergel and Dora Madarasz were very much in form as play commenced; second round places were booked in style.
Szandra Pergel, the no.47 seed, beat Pauline Chasselin of France (12-10, 11-6, 11-8, 14-12); Dora Madarasz accounted for Alkaterini Toliu of Greece (11-4, 11-1, 11-9, 11-6).
Imposing starts
Women’s Singles – Round One
The respective top two seeds, China’s Ding Ning and Chen Meng both made imposing starts to their campaigns; ultra efficient performances were on view.
Ding Ning beat Egypt’s Yousra Helmy (11-2, 11-3, 11-5, 11-6): Chen Meng accounted for Singapore’s Wong Xin Ru (11-9, 11-9, 11-5, 11-5).
Dina Meshref recovers
Women’s Singles – Round One
Trailing three games to nil, Egypt’s Dina Meshref performed the most notable recovery of the tournament to date. The no.34 seed, eventually, she overcame India’s Archana Girish Kamath (8-11, 8-11, 17-19, 11-8, 11-6, 11-7, 11-4); she now meets Canada’s Zhang Mo, the no.21 seed. In her opening round contest she beat India’s Archana Girish Kamath (11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-7).
“I think I knew I had to change my tactics after losing the first three games and when I did that things started to change. From the fourth game I led all through to win the match. It was a very tactical match for me. I am so excited advancing to the next stage and I hope I can even go further because I can say that I had a good draw unlike in the past when you will be facing the Chinese or Japanese early in the competition. I hope I can do better in the next match against Canada’s Zhang Mo.” Dina Meshref
Feng Tianwei eventually finds answers
Women’s Singles – Round One
Singapore’s Feng Tianwei, the no.9 seed, accounted for Amy Wang of the United States (12-10, 11-7, 8-11, 5-11, 11-13, 11-6), a contest in which, the 17 year old had caused a host of problems. After recovering to level matters at two games apiece, in the fifth, on two occasions Feng Tianwei had to save game points.
“First match in the tournament it was difficult to find a rhythm to my play; winning the fifth game was a major boost to my confidence.” Feng Tianwei
Day Three commences
It’s time for the players to take to the table for Day Three of the Liebherr 2019 World Championships – for detailed information take a look at the fixture schedule below:
Preview Day Three
Take a look at what’s coming your way on Day Three with our quick preview article:
Preview Day Three: Potential upsets on the horizon?
Lily Zhang x TATA Trickshot
Be sure to watch USA’s Lily Zhang take on the TATA Trickshot Challenge – can she beat Ma Long’s target?
