The Qatar Open has now entered the main competition, in addition to seeing young players show their skills, you can also see some veterans galloping on the field, and the state is not reduced. The 39-year-old Zhuang Zhiyuan is one who has just successfully defeated Japanese teenager Zhang Benzhihe 4:2 in the first round of the match, while the 44-year-old Samsonov, who is not dominant in speed and strength, relies on stalemate and landing point to eliminate Lin Gaoyuan 4:3, after he successfully advanced in the qualifiers against Zhou Yu.
In China, such an old player has long since retired, but they are still struggling with their love of table tennis.
Born in 1976, Samsonov is a Belarusian player, the same age as Liu Guoliang, since his debut in 1995, he has won countless championships and runners-up, because of his comprehensive technology, strong defensive ability, soft and rigid playing, and has the reputation of "Taiji Tiger". After experiencing the dazzling of "Gemini Stars", the glory of "two kings and one horse", and the prosperity of "three musketeers", he single-handedly opposed the sixth generation of national table tennis players. Along the way, he witnessed the miraculous growth of national table tennis.
As an evergreen tree in table tennis, Samsonov is not easy. Compared with Germany, which has a good foundation in table tennis, his country Belarus is close to the "blind spot" for table tennis. It is in such an environment without high-level coaches and sparring partners that Samsonov became the only table tennis player to win three singles championships in the small ball era, the big ball era and the inorganic era, won a total of 27 open men's singles championships (second only to Ma Long's 28), and once became the "Three European Tigers" with Waldner and Primoratz, which brought a huge impact to the national table tennis in the 1990s.
For the national table tennis, Samsonov is both an opponent and a friend. On the court, he not only has excellent skills and frequently creates trouble for national table tennis, but also has excellent balls and gentlemanly demeanor. At the 49th World Table Tennis Championships, Marlene's serve was ruled by the referee, Samsonov wanted the referee to change the verdict and was finally rejected, so he took the initiative to push Marlene's serve off the net and send back a point, and the scene was warmly applauded.
Because of such a noble character, Samsonov has won the respect and love of fans at home and abroad, and domestic fans affectionately call him "Old Sa". Today, this tiger is old, and winning or losing is not the whole game for him, and enjoying the process of playing is the purpose of his persistence. As he grew older, Samsonov's threat dropped dramatically, and the once fierce tiger became a unique evergreen tree in the world table tennis world. He is active in the table tennis world with his dedication and love for table tennis, and is full of vitality on the field, becoming another immortal legend after Waldner.
Operations personnel: Yipin