Vladimir Samsonov in search of a win in 2011 Morocco Open
Vladimir Samsonov, the winner of 2009 and 2010, will defend his Men’s Singles title at the 2011 Morocco Hassan II Open tournament, which will be held from July 14 to 17.
The 35-year-old is a Belarusian professional table tennis player. He is ranked number eight in the ITTF world rankings as of May 2011. He is known as the 'Tai Chi Master' in China because of his all-round style.
On the other hand, Kasumi Ishikawa will defend her Women’s Singles title. She collected her first and the only ITTF Pro Tour singles title in 2010. Vladimir Samsonov won in Korea and Poland to bag a total of 22 Pro Tour Men’s Titles.
It will be unfair to compare the 18-year-old Kasumi Ishikawa with Vladimir Samsonov who is 35 years of age.
After the announcement of his arrival in Kockelschever, Samsonov has been the most successful performer in Men’s Singles events on the ITTF pro tour. His first victory in the Italian Bolzano was in 1996, which was apparently the first
year of ITTF Pro Tour.
Other names close to the likes of Samsonov are China’s Wang Liqin with 21 Men’s Single titles, Ma lin with 20, Timo Boll has 18 and Wang Hao has a total of 12 titles with them.
If the overall wins are considered that includes wins in Grand Finals, then Wang Liqin is ahead of Samsonov. Wang has a total of 24 Men’s Singles titles, while Vladimir Samsonov has 23 wins.
Vladimir Samsonov had the best of the chances to catch up with Wang’s wins this year, but his defeat in the final by Koerea’s Oh Sang Eun ruined it.
Samsonov still have the chance to equal Wang’s record this year and can still achieve what has only been accomplished once in the history of ITTF Pro Tour.
Croatia’s Zoran Primorac won three times in Doha Open (1998, 1999 and 2001) and Timo Boll of Germany has won four times in a row (2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009). Vladimir Samsonov is the only player who has won the Croatian Open in Zagreb
in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
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