Samsonov wins Chinese Taipei Open in Style

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

ITTF Press Release

A decade after winning the Men’s Singles title at the ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals in Hong Kong, Vladimir Samsonov clinched his sixteenth ITTF Pro Tour Men’s Singles gold medal when he succeeded at the Chinese Taipei Open on Sunday 26th August 2007.

Seeded two, the man from Minsk in Belarus, was in outstanding form beating top seed, Germany’s Timo Boll in straight games to win his first ITTF Pro Tour title of 2007.

Vladimir Samsonov won 11-4, 11-8, 11-8, 11-3.

It was by any standards a most impressive performance.

Break
“I’ve had a break of two months but I’ve still been practising”, said Vladimir Samsonov. “I was in good shape today, especially in the semi-final.”

The comment was one of the understatements of the year. Vladimir Samsonov was in top class shape.

Peaked
“I don’t think Timo was one hundred per cent today”, continued the newly crowned champion. “I was at the top of my game and with the season about to begin and the Champions League about to start, I am very motivated”

Honours Even
The meeting in the Men’s Singles final at the Chinese Taipei Open was the twenty-fifth time that the pair had met in World Ranking events, prior to the golden duel honours were even; each player had twelve wins to their credit. Vladimir Samsonov is now one to the good.

Pertinent
Nothing to choose between the two players but perhaps more pertinent is their results in 2007. The meeting in Chinese Taipei was their sixth of the year.

In the first two meetings in February 2007 Vladimir Samsonov had succeeded. He had beaten Timo Boll at the quarter-final stage of the Men’s Singles event at the Europe Top Twelve and he had prevailed when the pair met in the first semi-final of the European Champions League.

Wins for Timo Boll
However, the next three meetings all went the way of Timo Boll.

The German won when his club TTV Gönnern met Royal Villette Charleroi in the second semi-final clash in the European Champions League plus he succeeded on two occasions in the Liebherr European Championships.

He beat Vladimir Samsonov in the quarter-final stage of the Men’s Team event and in the final of the Men’s Singles.

Advantage to Timo Boll before the match and in gold medal duels he also had the advantage. In Men’s Singles finals Timo Boll and Vladimir Samsonov had previously met eight times with Timo Boll, the victor on five occasions.

The deficit has now been reduced to one as a result of Vladimir Samsonov’s efforts in Chinese Taipei. He was outstanding from start to finish.

Photo: Vladimir Samsonov outstanding on Sunday (courtesy of ITTF)

Samsonov wins Chinese Taipei Open in Style

Related Articles