Top Two Seeds Seeking Better Fortunes than Earlier in Year and on Previous Visits
Courtesy of ITTF
Almost nine months ago they contested the gold medal match at the Grand Finals in Bangkok; at the forthcoming GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour Austrian Open, which starts in Wels on Wednesday September 2nd, they are the top two seeds.
Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov, the runner up Thailand’s capital city, is the no.1 seed, with Jun Mizutani, the winner, being the no.2 seed; if they are to meet again in the prestigious contest, good performances in Wels would certainly enhance their chances.
It is especially the situation for Jun Mizutani, who like Dimitrij Ovtcharov has made three appearances to date on this year’s ITTF World Tour.
Defeats Against Lower Ranked Opposition
Currently he is listed at no.31 (175 points) on the Race to Lisbon Men’s Singles Standings; if he is to secure one of the 16 places available in the Portuguese capital city, he must far exceed his performances of the past six months.
Defeat at the hands of most worthy adversaries but in each instance players holding a lower World ranking.
In March in Germany, the no.3 seed in the Men’s Singles event, he was beaten by China’s Yan An, the no.6 seed, at the quarterfinal stage. Later, on home soil in Kobe when the no.4 seed, he experienced defeat at the hands of Korea’s Joo Saehyuk, the no.10 seed.
Problems against the defensive style, the following week when the Tour moved to Incheon, it was problems against a player form the same country but with a very different style. The top seed, he was beaten in the opening round by qualifier Jang Woojin.
Same Number
Three appearances on this year’s ITTF World Tour, it is exactly the same number in the Austrian Open and if he is to stake his claim for a place in the Grand Finals; then just as he must exceed his performances of the past eight months, he must exceed his past performances in the landlocked Central European country.
He has never advanced beyond the round of the last eight. In 2007 when the event was held in Wels as now, he was beaten by Germany’s Bastian Steger at the quarterfinal stage.
More recently in 2011 in Schwechat, he departed in the same round losing to China’s Zhang Jike; while sandwiched in between in 2010, when again Wels was the home, he departed proceedings in round three losing to colleague Kenta Matsudaira.
Similar Scenario
Equally, Austria has not been the happiest of hunting grounds for Dimitrij Ovtcharov whose best performance this year was a semi-final finish in Qatar when beaten by Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus. Currently on the Race to Lisbon Men’s Singles Standings, he is at no.9 (525 points).
Similarly, it is three appearances with the best being a quarterfinal finish.
In 2008 in Salzburg, he was beaten in the round of the last eight in Salzburg by Poland’s Wang Zengyi, having the previous year in Wels being beaten in round two by China’s Qiu Yike. Meanwhile, in 2011 in Schwechat, he departed proceedings in round three; the player against whom he experienced defeat, a certain Jun Mizutani.
Previous Finalists
No great joy for either Jun Mizutani or Dimitrij Ovtcharov in Austria; but there are two previous champions and two runners up in action in 2015.
Beaten in the final in 2004 in Wels, Belgium’s Jean-Michel Saive is on duty as is Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chih-Yuan, who was the silver medalist in 2008 in Salzburg; both were beaten by Germany’s Timo Boll.
Likewise, Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia and Croatia’s Zoran Primorac are present.
Tiago Apolonia won in 2012, again when the event was held in Wels, beating Timo Boll in the final; while in 1997 when the tournament was staged in Linz, Zoran Primorac clinched the top prize at the expense of Sweden’s Peter Karlsson.
Seeding
In Wels in 2015 Chuang Chih-Yuan is the no.5 seed behind Vladimir Samsonov and Japan’s Koki Niwa; Tiago Apolonia is the no.8 seed; he follows Korea’s Jung Youngsik and Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Ting.
Both Zoran Primorac and Jean-Michel Saive must compete in the qualification stage.
