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Six-time Olympian Samsonov books semifinal place on expense of Ovtcharov

Xinhua, August 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

Belarus' table tennis veteran Vladimir Samsonov outlastedEuropean top paddler Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany 4-2 here on Tuesday to advance to the men' s singles semifinals for the first time while playing at his sixth Olympic Games.

Having called a medical timeout during the second set after beaten 11-8 in the first, the 40-year-old Samsonov returned to the court to tie it 1-1 on sets, before launching an incredible comeback to win 8-11, 11-7, 19-17, 4-11, 11-2, 14-12.

The world No. 9 will play his first every Olympic semifinal clash against the winner between defending champion and one of the sport' s Grand Slam winners Zhang Jike of China and the Japanese sensation Koki Niwa on Thursday.

In his previous Olympics, Samsonov reached the quarterfinals twice, losing to Wang Tao of China in Atlanta 1996 and the eventual champion Zhang Jike in London 2012.

He' s not the most experienced table tennis player as Jorgen Persson of Sweden, Jean-Michel Saive of Belgium and Zoran Primorac of Croatia competed at all seven Olympic tournaments between 1988 and 2012, and Segun Toriola of Nigeria played at his seventh here in Rio. Endit