Kuwait Open 2016

[TableTennisDaily]

The 2016 Kuwait Open is the third World Tour of the year and will take place in Kuwait this week. The Kuwait Open ITTF World Tour begins on the 16th March and concludes on the 20th March. This is a super World Tour event with recent World Team Champion of China - Ma Long leading the men's singles standings. The World Top 5 in both the men's and women's singles event have entered the Kuwait Open! What a showdown this is going to be!

Total number of entries so far is: 156

Main Draw

Men's Singles
Women's Singles
Men's Doubles
Women's Doubles

Live matches from the Kuwait Open can be watched in the ITTF Live Streaming which has playback on demand with integrated chat with TableTennisDaily members!

China's Ma Long, the World #1 has entered the Kuwait Open as the #1 seed.

Ma Long no.1 seed - Photo by: ITTF Flickr


Men's Singles Seeds

Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov enters the Kuwait Open as the #5 seed - Photo by: ITTF Flickr

01) Ma Long
02) Fan Zhendong
03) Xu Xin
04) zhang Jike
05) Dimitrij Ovtcharov
06) Chuang Chih Yuan
07) Jun Mizutani
08) Vladimir Samsonov
09) Wong Chun Ting
10) Jung Youngsik
11) Koki Niwa
12) Tang Peng
13) Andrej Gacina
14) Lee Sang Su
15) Stefan Fegerl
16) Al Hasan Salem


Women Singles Seeds

China's Liu Shiwen enters the Kuwait Open as the #1 seed - Photo by: ITTF Flickr

01) Liu Shiwen
02) Ding Ning
03) Zhu Yuling
04) Ai Fukuhara
05) Kasumi Ishikawa
06) LI Xiaoxia
07) Feng Tianwei
08) Han Ying
09) Mima Ito
10) Seo Hyowon
11) Jeon Jihee
12) Shan Xiaona
13) Petrissa Solja
14) Cheng I-Ching
15) Tie Yana
16) Miu Hirano


For full player entries click here.


Live matches from the Kuwait Open can be watched in the ITTF Live Streaming which has playback on demand with integrated chat with TableTennisDaily members!

With the Rio Olympics fast approaching top players from around the world are participating in tournaments to prepare for the global event. This week will see the world top 5 in both the mens and womens singles enter the Kuwait Open! We are in for a treat! Ma Long leads the men's singles followed closely by Fan Zhendong, Xu Xin, Zhang Jike and Dimitrij Ovtcharov. In the women's singles Liu Shiwen leads the seedings followed closely by Ding Ning, Zhu Yuling, Ai Fukuhara, and Kasumi Ishikawa. Timo Boll has withdrawn from the event, likely due to his knee injury or rest/rehabilitation. Will anyone eliminate top form Ma Long? Samsonov, Koki Niwa, Chuang Chih Yuan, Wong Chun Ting and Jun Mizutani are also in the mix up

A fantastic event to follow, be sure to get involved on the TTD discussions and join us in the live chat in the ITTF Live Streaming!

We can use this thread as a means to display all the latest results, videos and news from this spectacular Kuwait Open! What are your predictions from each event.

 

[ttbatman]

Ma Long to win the men's singles, and Ding Ning for the women's gold.

 

[kirua18]

Why Al Hasan Salem is in top seed ?

Because he's in host nation ... ?

Usually, it's ranking which permit to be top seed, not a place bought with dollars ...

 

[Dan]

I am really looking forward to this event! The line up is great! I would like to watch Ovtcharov vs Fan Zhendong if they met.

 

[ttmonster]

How about Obtcharov vs Zhang Jike ? Thats a grudge match waiting to happen for a long time

I am really looking forward to this event! The line up is great! I would like to watch Ovtcharov vs Fan Zhendong if they met.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

It is interesting how ZJK always seems to be on the other side of the draw from Ma Long. So, the only way they can play is in the finals.

Should be a good tournament.


Sent from Deep Space by Abacus

 

[ttbatman]

It is interesting how ZJK always seems to be on the other side of the draw from Ma Long. So, the only way they can play is in the finals.

Should be a good tournament.



Sent from Deep Space by Abacus

That's because Ma Long and Fan Zhendong are the 1st and 2nd seeds respectively, therefore they are on opposing sides of the draw.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

That's because Ma Long and Fan Zhendong are the 1st and 2nd seeds respectively, therefore they are on opposing sides of the draw.

Well, that explains why FZD is not on the same side of the draw as ML. But it doesn't explain why ZJK is always on the other side of the draw as ML. LOL.


Sent from Deep Space by Abacus

 

[ttmonster]

I had asked almost similar question a while back in the past and NextLevel had given detailed explanations on the draw. I will see if I can find it

Well, that explains why FZD is not on the same side of the draw as ML. But it doesn't explain why ZJK is always on the other side of the draw as ML. LOL.


Sent from Deep Space by Abacus

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Hehe. I think, if ZJK was the 3 seed, he would be in the draw at the bottom against FZD and if he was the 4 seed he'd still be in the bottom against FZD. I think it is a conspiracy: C-O-N-spiracy.

There's someone from the goon squad working within the ITTF to ensure that ZJK and ML can't play against each other unless it is the final. And I will continue to assert that and pretend I never saw the 2016 German Open, or better yet, there were other goon squad members who were trying to ensure that a German player got into the German Open finals by putting all the CNT players on the top side of the draw and putting Timo and Dima on the bottom side of the draw. But those goon squad members hadn't thought about Samsonov.

I think, if I wanted to pretend to really be a crazy person, I could probably do that pretty well. hehe.

 

[ttmonster]

Just don't try to put "smile" in every face ...

Hehe. I think, if ZJK was the 3 seed, he would be in the draw at the bottom against FZD and if he was the 4 seed he'd still be in the bottom against FZD. I think it is a conspiracy: C-O-N-spiracy.

There's someone from the goon squad working within the ITTF to ensure that ZJK and ML can't play against each other unless it is the final. And I will continue to assert that and pretend I never saw the 2016 German Open, or better yet, there were other goon squad members who were trying to ensure that a German player got into the German Open finals by putting all the CNT players on the top side of the draw and putting Timo and Dima on the bottom side of the draw. But those goon squad members hadn't thought about Samsonov.

I think, if I wanted to pretend to really be a crazy person, I could probably do that pretty well. hehe.

 

[ttbatman]

Well, that explains why FZD is not on the same side of the draw as ML. But it doesn't explain why ZJK is always on the other side of the draw as ML. LOL.


Sent from Deep Space by Abacus

Ooooops, sorry misread it. In theory shouldn't the 1st and 4th seeds be in one half of the draw while 2nd and 3rd are in the other?

 

[fanTT]

Ooooops, sorry misread it. In theory shouldn't the 1st and 4th seeds be in one half of the draw while 2nd and 3rd are in the other?

Usually it is. But I have heard here that 3th and 4th can be switched. I have just looked through ITTF WT directives, but haven't found about this option...

 

[violoniste18]

live is running !

 

[ttbatman]

Usually it is. But I have heard here that 3th and 4th can be switched. I have just looked through ITTF WT directives, but haven't found about this option...

Interesting, another example of the ITTF organisation

 

[masoud]

Apparently money is everything ....

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Ooooops, sorry misread it. In theory shouldn't the 1st and 4th seeds be in one half of the draw while 2nd and 3rd are in the other?

And by that logic ZJK should be in ML's bracket. Right!!!

They do sometimes switch 3 and 4. But it seems if ML and ZJK are in the same tournament and ML is 1 and ZJK is 4, they WILL switch that so he is on the opposite side of the draw.


Sent from Deep Space by Abacus

 

[NextLevel]

I had asked almost similar question a while back in the past and NextLevel had given detailed explanations on the draw. I will see if I can find it

Let me try to reproduce it again - there is pure snake draw and randomized snake draw. A pure snake draw has 1 and 2 on opposite sides then 2 plays 3 and 1 plays 4. At every stage of the draw, the higher rated opponent is guaranteed the lowest possible opponent he can play. So 1 would play 8, 2 pays 7, 3 plays 6 and 4 plays 5. And so on.

Randomized snake draw usually puts 1 and 2 in separated halves, the randomizes the 3 and 4, then randomizes 5-8 with half on one half and half on the other, then randomizes 9-16 and so on.

Few organizers do pure snake seed for the best tournaments in any sport these days - randomized is the norm.

 

[Lucas Nascimento]

I confess that I'd really lie to see Hugo Calderano going against Ovtcharov or Samsonov; I believe we would have a great match!

 

[ttmonster]

In tennis, especially grand slams is it always a pure snake draw ?

Let me try to reproduce it again - there is pure snake draw and randomized snake draw. A pure snake draw has 1 and 2 on opposite sides then 2 plays 3 and 1 plays 4. At every stage of the draw, the higher rated opponent is guaranteed the lowest possible opponent he can play. So 1 would play 8, 2 pays 7, 3 plays 6 and 4 plays 5. And so on.

Randomized snake draw usually puts 1 and 2 in separated halves, the randomizes the 3 and 4, then randomizes 5-8 with half on one half and half on the other, then randomizes 9-16 and so on.

Few organizers do pure snake seed for the best tournaments in any sport these days - randomized is the norm.