WTT Star Contender Doha 2021 continues in style
Doha: Slovakia’s Lubomir Pistej and Barbora Balazova made a shock exit as the top seed mixed doubles pair lost to Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chien-An and Chen Szu-Yu at the WTT Star Contender Doha 2021.
In the round of 16 match at the Lusail Sports Arena yesterday, Pistej and Balazova took a two-game lead but Chien-An and Szu-Yu fought back to win (4-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-5).
Over on table three, France’s Can Akkuzu has just delivered one of the day’s standout recoveries to keep his dreams alive in the Men’s Singles draw. Forced up against the ropes after being handed a two-game deficit by Brazil’s Vitor Ishiy, Akkuzu hit back by winning the next three games on the bounce to stun the birthday boy 3-2 (7-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5, 12-10).
Germany’s Ricardo Walther is through to the Men’s Singles Round of 32 after holding off a late comeback charge from Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chien-An (11-7, 11-6, 13-15, 9-11, 11-7). Defeating a man ranked over 20 positions higher above him, world number 94 Walther moves on to book a second-round meeting with United States’ Kanak Jha, ranked 32nd.
Turning 26 today, Brazil’s Vitor Ishiy received a welcome birthday gift in Doha as he partnered Bruna Takahashi to a Round of 16 victory in the Mixed Doubles event. Falling short in a tight opening game, Ishiy and Takahashi recovered a 3-1 win over Finland’s Benedek Olah and Britt Eerland of the Netherlands (10-12, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5).
Shock has descended upon the Lusail Sports Arena in Doha following an unexpected departure for the second-seeded combination for the Women’s Doubles event Hitomi Sato and Saki Shibata. The Japanese pair were shown the exit by Singapore’s Lin Ye and Zeng Jian (11-6, 11-4, 11-7), who set up a quarter-final meeting with Chinese Taipei’s Chen Szu-Yu and Li Yu-Jhun.
Iran will have representation in the Women’s Singles Round of 32 after Neda Shahsavari successfully navigated a dramatic five-game encounter. Taking on Ukraine’s Solomiya Brateyko, Shahsavari never trailed during the match (11-9, 4-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7) and now moves on to face Hong Kong, China’s Lee Ho Ching.
Singapore’s Lin Ye stormed back from her opening game loss to Russia’s Mariia Tailakova by winning her next three games against the Russian to progress to her next Round of 32, where she will face Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi. Tailakova took the first game 11-4 before Lin, the world number 61, levelled the score 1-1 by winning the second game 11-8. It was a tighter contest in the third game, with the Singaporean prevailing 13-11 before sealing the match with a 11-2 win in the fourth game.
France’s Jia Nan Yuan dispatched Zhu Chengzhu from Hong Kong, China, in straight games, winning 3-0 (11-5, 11-9, 11-9) to advance into the Round of 32. Yuan seized the early initiative with a 11-5 in the first game before taking the next two, 11-9, 11-9, to underline her dominance over Zhu.
Japan’s Kazuhiro Yoshimura eliminated Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw in a five-game thriller which the Japanese won 3-2 (11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 11-13, 11-3). The pendulum swung between Diaw and Yoshimura throughout the first four games. It finally took the heroics of the Japanese to close out the match by winning the decider convincingly 11-3.
Qatar's Ahmed Khaleel Al Mohannadi went down 7-11, 2-11, 3-11 to South Korea’s Lim Jonghoon while his compatriot Mohammed Abdulwahab lost to Croatia’s Andrej Gacina 5-11, 7-11, 5-11.
Al Mohannadi and Abduwahab, who teamed up in the doubles, came up with a determined bid against Austria’s Robert Gardos and Daniel Habesohn but again failed to clinch a game. They lost 5-11, 8-11, 7-11.
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