Europe Top 12: Fifth Time for Timo Boll
February 8, 2010

Timo Boll, the winner on home soil in Düsseldorf Photo By: Ireneusz Kanabrodzki

Courtesy of ITTF Germany’s Timo Boll retained his Men’s Singles title at the Liebherr Europe Top 12 tournament on home soil in Düsseldorf on Sunday January 7, 2010, beating Vladimir Samonsov of Belarus at the final hurdle. In front of 3,200 spectators in the Burg-Wächter Castello Hall, the 28 year old German clinched the title for a fifth time.

He is now one step closer to challenging the record of Sweden’s Jan-Ove Waldner who won the title no less than seven times.

It was the fourth time that Timo Boll and Vladimir Samsonov had met in a Europe Top 12 Men’s Singles final; it was the fourth time that Timo Boll had won.

Watershed
Boll won in six games with the fourth game proving to be the watershed.

Samsonov led by two games to one and was 8-2 ahead in the fourth. Alas for Belarus he won only one more point in that game; Boll clinched the game 12-10 and a major momentum change had taken place.

Repeat
Meanwhile, in the Women’s Singles event, the final was a repeat of the 2008 final when the event was staged in Frankfurt.

Li Jiao of the Netherlands overcame Poland’s Li Qian in a hard fought seven games duel.

It was for Li Jiao her third victory in the competition; she won in 2007 in the Italian city of Arezzo; whilst one year later she succeeded in Frankfurt; as for Timo Boll his previous wins were in 2002 in Rotterdam, the following year in the German city of Rotterdam; then in 2006 on Danish soil in Copenhagen before succeeding in Düsseldorf as he did one year later.

Results – Men’s Singles
First Stage
Group A: 1. Timo Boll (GER) 2. Chen Weixing (AUT) 3. Bastian Steger (GER)
Group B: 1. Patrick Baum (GER), Zoran Primorac (HRV) 3. Werner Schlager (AUT)
Group C: Dimitrij Ovtcharov (GER) 2. Kalinikos Kreanga (GRE) 3. Robert Gardos (AUT)
Group D: Vladimir Samsonov (BLR) 2. Christian Suss (Germany) 3. Jörgen Persson (SWE)

Quarter-Finals
Timo Boll (GER) bt Christian Süss (GER) 11-7, 12-10, 11-4, 10-12, 11-7
Kalinikos Kreanga (GRE) bt Patrick Baum (GER) 10-12, 11-4, 11-3, 11-3, 11-2
Chen Weixing (AUT) bt Dimitrij Ovtcharov (GER) 11-9, 12-10, 11-5, 11-4
Vladimir Samsonov (BLR) bt Zoran Primorac (HRV) 11-7, 14-12, 11-6, 8-11, 11-4

Semi-Finals
Timo Boll (GER) bt Kalinikos Kreanga (GRE) 8-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-7
Vladimir Samsonov (BLR) bt Chen Weixing (AUT) 11-7, 11-2, 11-7, 11-7

Final
Timo Boll (GER) bt Vladimir Samsonov (BLR) 10-12, 11-9, 10-12, 11-9, 11-8, 11-2

Results – Women’s Singles
First Stage
Group A: 1. Krisztina Toth (HUN) 2. Daniela Dodean (ROU) 3. Wu Jiaduo (GER)
Group B: 1. Li Qian (POL) 2. Elke Schall (GER) 3. Viktoria Pavlovich (BLR)
Group C: 1. Li Jiao (NED) 2. Elizabeta Samara (ROU) 3. Tamara Boros (HRV)
Group D: 1. Li Jie (NED) 2. Ruta paskauskiene (LTU) 3. Liu Jia (AUT)

Quarter-Finals
Krisztina Toth (HUN) bt Ruta Paskauskiene (LTU) 13-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-6, 11-7
Li Jiao (NED) bt Elke Schall (GER) 11-9, 11-9, 11-6, 6-11, 12-10
Li Qian (POL) bt Daniela Dodean (ROU) 8-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-6, 11-9
Li Jie (NED) bt Elizabeta Samara (ROU) 15-13, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-5

Semi-Finals
Li Jiao (NED) bt Krisztina Toth (HUN) 11-5, 11-9, 14-12, 11-6
Li Qian (POL) bt Li Jie 11-4, 6-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-9

Final Li Jiao (NED) bt Li Qian (POL) 11-7, 12-14, 11-4, 11-6, 8-11, 4-11, 13-11