Morocco Open: Top Seeds Secure Singles Crowns

Monday, July 13, 2009

ITTF Press Release - Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus and Japan’s Ai Fukuhara, the top seeds, won the respective Men’s and Women’s Singles titles at the Morocco Open Hassan II in Rabat on Friday 10th July 2009 recording respective final wins over Spain’s Carlos Machado and Korea’s Seok Ha Jung.

Both enjoyed the privilege of being the top seeds but in terms of career history they are poles apart. The victory in Rabat was the 20th Men’s Singles title won by Vladimir Samsonov on the ITTF Pro Tour, for Ai Fukuhara it was her first ever Women’s Singles crown and it brought to an end a dismal run of performances in 2009.

It was for Carlos Machado and Seok Ha Jung totally new heights in their careers; the previous best for Machado was a third round exit in Korea and Brazil in 2006 whilst for Seok Ha Jung it was a quarter-final farewell in Qatar in 2008.

Success for Ai Fukuhara over Seok Ha Jung in the Women’s Singles final and it was the same in the Women’s Doubles gold medal duel where with 16 year old Kasumi Ishikawa the duo overcame Kim Jung Hyun and Seok Ha Jung.

Meanwhile, in the Men’s Doubles final it was gold for France; Loic Bobiller joined forces with French colleague, Armand Phung to beat the combination of Bulgaria’s Stanislav Golovanov and Russia’s Maxim Shmyryev.

Men’s Singles
Semi-Finals
Vladimir Samsonov (BLR) bt Maxim Shmyryev (RUS) 11-9, 12-10, 11-4, 11-7
Carlos Machado (ESP) bt El-Sayed Lashin (EGY) 11-3, 4-11, 14-12, 11-9, 11-8
Final
Vladimir Samsonov (BLR) bt Carlos Machado (ESP) 15-13, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9, 11-6

Women’s Singles
Semi-Finals
Ai Fukuhara (JPN) bt Park Seong Hye (KOR) 7-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-3, 11-5
Seok Ha Jung (KOR) bt Shim Se Rom (KOR) 12-10, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6
Final
Ai Fukuhara (JPN) bt Seok Ha Jung (KOR) 11-4, 8-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 13-11

Men’s Doubles
Final
Loic Bobillier/Armand Phung (FRA) bt Stanislav Golovanov/Maxim Shmyryev (BUL/RUS)

Women’s Doubles
Final
Ai Fukuhara/Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN) bt Kim Jung Hyun/Seok Ha Jung (KOR) 3-11, 11-8, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7

Read more:
http://www.ittf.com/_front_page/ittf_full_story1.asp?ID=19006

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