Ovtcharov and Liu Jia Won the 2015 Europe Top-16
Baku, February 9, AZERTAC
Liu Jia and Dimitrij Ovtcharov were crowned champions of the 2015 Europe Top-16, according to tabletennista.com. The Austrian player defended the title after beating Petrissa Solja of Germany in the final. Ovtcharov emerged successfully over Marcos Freitas, last year's champion, in a full-distance final.
Liu defended the title won last year as he stood victorious over Petrissa Solja in the final match.
Liu dominated the match and sealed her victory by 11:3, 12:14, 11:8, 11:3 and 11:9. In semifinals the Austrian player beat Li Jiao by 11:7, 11:8, 11:5, 7:11, 11:13 and 11:5. In the second semifinal Solja overcame her compatriot Irene Ivncan by 11:9, 13:11, 11:7 and 13:11. The third place was got by Ivancan after beating Li Jiao by 8:11, 11:6, 9:11, 12:10, 8:11, 11:7 and 11:7.
In the men's event Ovtcharov went to great lengths to beat Marcos Freitas, the defending champion. The German player didn't have a good start in the final. He lost by 10:12 in the first game and then leveled by 11:7. Freitas took control of the match in the next games. Ovtcharov made easy mistakes and didn't seem to be focused on the game. On the contrary, the Portuguese player was showing an amazing performance and won the next games by 11:9 and 11:8.
But Ovtcharov didn't give up and fought back point by point. He got the fifth game by 12:10. Then the momentum changed. The 2013 European champion began to dominate the match and leveled by 11:7. In the deciding game Ovtcharov's superiority was clear and secured his victory by 11:4.
To reach the final, the German player overcame Panagiotis Gionis by 10:12, 11:6, 14:16, 11:4, 10:12, 11:4 and 11:8. Freitas won against Simon Gauzy by 11:13, 11:8, 11:7, 9:11, 11:9, 6:11 and 11:7. The third place was won by Gionis after defeating Gauzy by 5:11, 11:7, 4:11, 10:12, 12:10, 11:8 and 11:1.
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