Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany returns the ball during a men's singles round of 16 match against Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus at the 2019 ITTF Czech Open in Olomouc, the Czech Republic, on Aug. 23, 2019. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)
OLOMOUC, Czech Republic, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The 43-year-old Belarusian table tennis legendary Vladimir Samsonov lost the veteran clash against the fourth-seeded German Dimitrij Ovtcharov 4-1 here on Friday in the men's singles round of 16 at the ITTF World Tour Czech Open.
The 30-year-old Ovtcharov, who had beaten Samsonov 4-3 at the ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup, won the game 11-7, 5-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-7.
Ovtcharov believed his ultimate victory stemmed from the fourth game, which gave him a 3-1 lead. "I won the fourth set 12-10 and that broke him a little bit," said Ovtcharov.
"We are really good friends off the court so it was important to set your mind to that we are now rivals and that it is important to win and put the friendship away for 45 minutes," added the German. "Maybe I did this a little bit better than Vladi. Actually, it was one of my best matches in the past few months, so I am very satisfied."
Samsonov looks a bit disappointed after the game, but he told Xinhua the results were totally acceptable.
"I just lost and it's over for me. I'll go home tomorrow. When you play a tournament you kind of wish to play as long as possible. But that's it for me," said the Belarusian star.
"I had some chances maybe. In the fourth game, I lost 12-10. I could have won the other way I guess," said Samsonov, "Dimitrij played quite well today, much better than me. He ranked higher than me and it is a normal result."
