Previous Efforts of Year Surpassed, Jun Mizutani Clinches Top Prize
2015 ITTF Austrian Open
Courtesy of ITTF

Three previous appearances in the year prior to his journey to the city of Wels; his best being a quarter-final finish in Germany when beaten by China’s Yan An, Japan’s Jun Mizutani won the Men’s Singles title at the GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour Austrian Open on the late afternoon of Sunday September 6th.

Occupying the no.2 seeded position in the draw, at the final hurdle he overcame Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov, the top seed, to secure the highest step of the medal podium.

Impressively, Jun Mizutani won in five games (11-7, 11-8, 11-13, 14-12, 11-6).

Previous Meetings
It was no less than the 14th meeting between the two young men who very much came to international attention at the first ever World Junior Championships in the Chilean capital city of Santiago in December 2003.

The first meeting was in 2005 on the ITTF World Tour in Croatia, on that occasion Dimitrij Ovtcharov emerged successful before, starting with the Japan Open in 2006, Jun Mizutani won seven times in a row.

Sequence Ended
At the Liebherr 2012 World Team Championships in Bremen, Dimitrij Ovtcharov ended the sequence; he won the next two meetings before again the balance swing in favor of Jun Mizutani.

He emerged successful at the ZEN-NOH 2014 World Team Championships in Tokyo, before more pertinently succeeding later in the year at the GAC Group ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Bangkok.

Ninth Final
In Wels it was the ninth time that Jun Mizutani had appeared in an ITTF World Tour Men’s Singles final; it was the fifth time that he had emerged successful.

Previously he won in 2009 in Korea, before succeeding in 2010 in Hungary and then in 2012 in both Kuwait and on home soil in Japan.

Also success in two Grand Finals can be added to the total. Additional to his success last December in Bangkok, he won in the Korean capital city of Seoul in 2010.

Second Final of Year
Meanwhile for Dimitrij Ovtcharov it was his second ITTF World Tour Men’s Singles final of the year and his second silver meal; in February in Qatar he was beaten in the title deciding contest by Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus.

Overall it was the 11th occasion that Dimitrij Ovtcharov had reached an ITTF World Tour Men’s Singles final; it was the sixth time the runners up spot was his lot.

Lisbon Bound
However, similar to Jun Mizutani he has enhanced his chances of a place in the GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals; no doubt both will appear in Lisbon in December.

Full results and coverage of the 2015 ITTF Austrian Open is available at ITTF.