The host nation’s Timo Boll, the no.1 seed, captured the Men’s
Singles crown at the German Open in Bremen on Sunday 22nd March 2009
beating Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus, seeded no.2, in four straight
games at the final hurdle.
Boll won 11-8, 12-10, 11-6, 11-9.
In
so doing clinched his fourth ITTF Pro Tour Men’s Singles title on home
soil, retained his title and broke both the Bremen and odd numbered
year curse.
Previous Wins
The
previous wins recorded by Boll at the German Open had all come in even
numbered years. He won in Leipzig in 2004, in Bayreuth in 2006 and in
Berlin in 2008.
However, in 2003 it was a first round exit, in
2005 he departed at the semi-final stage whilst in 2007 it was also a
semi-final exit. The defeats in 2003 and 2007 were both in Bremen.
Increased Haul
Furthermore,
it was the sixteenth Men’s Singles victory for Boll at an open
international tournament on the ITTF Pro Tour making the grand total
now seventeen; in 2005 he won the Men’s Singles event at the Volkswagen
Pro Tour Grand Finals in Fuzhou.
Recent Run of Success
In
addition, winning in Germany secured back-to-back Men’s Singles titles
on the ITTF Pro Tour and underlined his recent rich vein of form; in
the most recent ITTF Pro Tour tournaments in which he has competed, he
has won the Men’s Singles crown on no less than four occasions and has
never departed before the quarter-finals.
He concluded 2008 with
wins in Austria, Germany and Poland whilst in 2009 he won in Qatar; the
two occasions when he has not prevailed were in Denmark and Kuwait.
In
January he was beaten by China’s Zhang Jike at the quarter-final stage,
whilst in Kuwait in February it was a semi-final exit at the hands of
Wang Hao.
Sharp Contrast
The
current success being enjoyed by Boll is in sharp contrast to 2007 when
he went for a period 17 days short of two years without a Men’s Singles
title on the ITTF Pro Tour.
On Sunday 19th November 2006, he won
at the Polish Open; he did not win again until Sunday 2nd November 2008
when he succeeded in Austria.
Confrontations with Samsonov
Meanwhile, in matches between Boll and Samsonov, the German has now won 18 of their 33 meetings in world ranking events.
However,
perhaps more pertinently Boll is well ahead in recent encounters. He
has won the most recent three duels and of the last 12, including his
win in Bremen, he has won nine times.
Hero
At
the German Open in 2009, he asserted his authority, he was never
extended the full seven games distance and his efforts delighted the
home fans; Boll yet gain was his nation’s hero.
Source: www.ittf.com
