Totally focused, Fan Zhendong and Chuang Chih-Yuan advance to last four

Commanding, China’s Fan Zhendong, followed by Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chih-Yuan emerged successful at the quarter-final stage of the Men’s Singles event at the Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour Qatar Open in Doha on the late afternoon of Saturday 25th February.

Fan Zhendong, the no.2 seed, beat Japanese qualifier Masaki Yoshida (11-7, 11-7, 11-4, 11-3), before Chuang Chih-Yuan, the no.10 seed, caused the Land of the Rising Sun more disappointment, he defeated Koki Niwa (9-11, 16-14, 6-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-4).

Earlier Masaki Yoshida had excelled, wins over Frenchman Emmanuel Lebesson and Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov had been outstanding results; against Fen Zhendong it was a very different scenario.

Masaki Yoshida was never able to reproduce the form of earlier in the tournament; more accurately he was never allowed the reproduce that form. Fan Zhendong had done his homework; he repeated the success of previous encounters; notably he had beaten Masaki Yoshida at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Hyderabad.

Athletic, Masaka Yoshida receives service from a comparatively wide position on the backhand side of the table; time and again a Fan Zhendong backhand top spin, executed down the line left the 22 year old flat footed.

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