(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT)

Patrick Franziska continues to roll at WTT’s Saudi Smash.  His tournament started with a 13-11 win in the fifth game for a 3-2 victory over Anders Lind.  Franziska then topped Alvaro Robles 3-0, beat World No. 2 Fan Zhendong 3-2, topped Germany’s Top Ranked player (and World No. 11) Dang Qiu 4-0, and today defeated World No. 20 Jang Woojin 4-3.  In today’s match, with the game score tied 3-3 and down 7-8 in the final game, the two players came out of a time-out.  Franziska won the next three points with winners wide of Woojin’s forehand.  The first was a backhand receive from the right-forehand side of the table that was returned cross-court for a tricky winner wide of Woojin’s forehand (8-8).  The next point finished with a pounding Franziska backhand crosscourt, a quick pivot and a forehand down the line past Woojin’s forehand (9-8).  In the next point Franziska played a forehand down the line and Woojin hit a strong cross-court backhand that Franziska played down the line for a winner – again hitting a spot wide of Woojin’s forehand (10-8).  The last point was a long serve with Woojin’s return floating long.  Franziska wins – advancing to face World No. 1 Wang Chuqin.

On the biggest stages, Patrick Franziska has risen to the challenge.  At the Singapore Smash, he topped Ma Long.  At this tournament, he has already topped Fan Zhendong.  And don’t ignore the win over Dang Qiu in this tournament – Germany’s highest ranked player, or that Franziska led his German Saarbrucken squad to a Bundesliga Championships by beating Ovtcharov’s team in the Semifinals and then the Qiu/Boll team in the final.  All of those other German players will be competing in Paris, but if things continue by plan, it will be Dang Qiu and Dimitrij Ovtcharov playing singles at the Olympics for Germany, and Qiu/Ovtcharov/Boll as Germany’s team.  Franziska was left out of the mix, and he has risen above that.  Perhaps he’s sending a message.  With the ranking points he will win (win or lose in the final), Patrick Franziska will reach the World Top 10 – and he will be ranked ahead of every other player in Germany (and ahead of every player in Europe with the exception of Felix Lebrun).  Franziska has already made a statement in Saudi Arabia – now he moves on to face Wang Chuqin in hopes of shocking the world.

Wang Chuqin entered the tournament as the World No. 1 and he is expected to advance.  That said, things had been relatively uneventful for him until the Semifinal.  He defeated Gauzy 3-0, then topped Ionescu 3-0, then beat Yoshimura 3-1, and defeated Groth 4-0 in their Quarterfinal match.  Things got tighter for Chuqin today as Lin Shidong began by winning the first two games.  Chuqin then ran off three wins in a row before the two split the final two games.  Chuqin advances 4-3.

The Finals will be played on Saturday.

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