(by Steve Hopkins)

The WTT’s Saudi Smash has completed two days of Qualifiers, and matches in the Main Draw will begin on Saturday.  The Men’s qualifers include Alvaro Robles, Feng Yi-Hsin, Hiroto Shinozuka, Isaac Quek, Noshad Alamiyan, Martin Allegro, Paul Drinkhall, and Can Akkuzu.  Some of our local favorites compete, but didn’t make it through to the Main Draw:  Americans Jinbao Ma and Jishan Liang each one their first match before losing, and Brian Afanador and Daniel Gonzalez of Puerto Rico each lost in their opening match.

This year’s Saudi Smash has 2 million dollars in prize money, and the winners will get 2000 ranking points.  This high level of prize money and ranking points likely explains why just about every top player is present.  In the Men’s Singles event, all of the top 22 players will be competing – and we are only missing 3 players in the top 50.  Its similar on the Women’s side where 14 of the top 15 are present and only 6 of the Top 50 are absent.  In that list of great players are Americans Lily Zhang (World No. 31) and Amy Wang (World No. 34).

Wang Chuqin’s path to the Semifinals will include Lin Gaoyuan – and that fourth of the draw also includes Alexis Lebrun and Dimitrij Ovtcharov. The next fourth of the draw includes Liang Jingkun, Lin Yun-Ju, Lin Shidong, Truls Moregard, and Lee Sang Su.  Felix Lebrun and Ma Long and in the third quarter of the draw and their section includes Lim Jonghoon, Tomokazu Harimoto, and Darko Jorgic.  And in the final fourth of the draw, Fan Zhendong and Hugo Calderano are the top seeds with Timo Boll, Dang Qiu, and Patrick Franziska  there to challenge as well.  Sixty four players will start the Main Draw with half playing Saturday and half starting on Sunday.

Lots of action is on tap for later this week with the Finals scheduled for next Saturday.

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