Playing in typically elegant style with seemingly more time to execute his art than any other player, Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus beat Hong’s Jiang Tianyi in five games to join the illustrious Chinese trio of Ma Lin, Ma Long and Wang Hao in the semi-finals of the Men’s Singles event at the Volkswagen Pro Tour Grand Finals in Macau.
Earlier in the day, in the top half of the draw, Ma Lin and Ma Long had booked their penultimate round places; in the evening session on Saturday 13th December 2008, Vladimir Samsonov and Wang Hao joined the duo.
Vladimir Samsonov beat Jiang Tianyi 11-6, 12-10, 11-4, 8-11, 11-4; whilst by a similar margin Wang Hao ended the hopes of Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chih-Yuan. Wang Hao won 11-3, 9-11, 11-5, 14-12, 11-4.
Control
It was the exquisite control exercised by Vladimir Samsonov that won the day; the man from Minsk being able to control the fast attacks of his opponent and then turn matters to his advantage.
Samsonov made the better start, he was the more experienced player, the more comfortable in theatre of excellence with all eyes and the television cameras focused on one solitary table.
Aggressive
He nullified the speed of Jiang Tianyi to win the first game with a degree of ease but in the second he struggled, he made mistakes as Jiang Tianyi played in aggressive mode.
The young man from Hong Kong moved into an 8-5 lead but could not maintain the momentum, Samsonov recovered to win the game and take a stranglehold on proceedings.
Boosted Confidence
Undoubtedly winning the game by the narrowest of margins boosted his confidence; he was the third game in the same fashion as he had won the first.
Facing doom, Jiang Tianyi took risks, in the fourth game the risks paid off, in the fifth they didn’t. Samsonov was too safe, too sure and too experienced. He controlled matters and duly put the upstart in his place to emerge a worthy winner.
Dexterous Grip
A place in the semi-finals booked, soon after Wang Hao did likewise.
Chuang Chih-Yuan, as always gave his best but the dexterity of the penholder when returning service and the awesome power in the rallies ensured a Chinese victory.
Fourth Game
Success by the margin of four games to one might sound very comfortable but it was a hard earned win with Chuang Chih-Yuan being in a whisker of levelling matters in the fourth game.
He led 10-7, Wang Hao recovered to 10-all; both players then saved game points before eventually the Chinese star prevailed. The close win signalled the end of the road for Chuang Chih-Yuan.
Wang Hao dominated the fifth game and victory was secured; a semi-final duel against Vladimir Samsonov awaits.
Source: www.ittf.com
