Zhang Jike faced off against Vladimir Samsonov looking to ensure a one-two podium finish for China following Ma Long’s earlier triumph. The veteran from Belarus was playing in his sixth Olympics and had progressed further than all the previous times. Despite pushing Zhang in a tight match, Samsonov could not do one better as he succumbed to defeat by the reigning gold medalist. Zhang moves on after an 11-9, 13-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9 win to face his compatriot in the finals.
Zhang holds off Samsonov to snatch the first game
Samsonov opened up a 3-1 lead with some angled shots but soon went down as Zhang capitalized on the Belarusian’s errors to take the lead. The power and spins from Zhang were looking tough for Samsonov to handle as Zhang ran away with an 8-3 lead. Just when the Belarusian looked like he was fading away, he started to absorb the pace from Zhang and counter his shots. It worked as Samsonov reduced the gap to 6-8 before clambering back to level 9-9. The Belarusian gave his all in the ensued rally, hitting defensive balls high up in the air but it did not go his way as Zhang got himself a game point. Zhang wasted no time to convert and take the opening game.
Samsonov squanders game points as Zhang grabs another tight game
It was another tight game as both paddlers kept within reach of each other. However, at 5-5, Samsonov stepped it up just a notch and raced to an 8-5 lead. With Zhang pulling back two points, the Belarusian called a timeout to regroup himself. Samsonov failed to hang on to his lead though as Zhang got the score back to 8-8. And just like in the first game, this too went to 9-9. Only this time, it was the Belarusian who carved out game point. Zhang was not going to give up the game without a fight, going on to save a couple of game points before edging it 12-10 with a strong finish.
Unlucky Samsonov fails to convert yet again
Zhang started the slower of the two as Samsonov took a 4-1 lead. Zhang got right back in it though to level for 6-6. The Belarusian was not afraid to send sky high balls whenever they got into a rally and this time, luck was with him as he managed to win a point and consolidate further for a 9-7 lead. The Belarusian remained focused to get himself triple game point with 10-3. However, it was a disappointment for Samsonov who could not convert any of it and relentless Zhang grabbed the third game as well with a 12-10 scoreline.
Persistence pays off for Samsonov as Zhang makes errors
Down 0-3 in the fourth game, the Belarusian looked to be fading away. However, it was not the case as Samsonov came back to level 5-5. Zhang looked to be under pressure though misfiring while the Belarusian remained composed to gain a 9-5 lead. Again, he had game points at 10-6 but unlike the previous games, Samsonov kept his cool to eventually get onto the scoreboard.
Zhang doesn't miss this time and seals the victory
Zhang, who had a quiet previous game by his accounts, was back in it pumping himself up at each point with a roar to conjure up a 6-1 lead. Samsonov was still fighting and came up with some great shots to reduce the huge gap to 6-9. The Belarusian looked to have lost another of those rallies but somehow gets the luck of the net before Zhang sent his shot long. Despite the stumble, Zhang then had three opportunities to put the match away at 10-7. Zhang remained calm to complete the win on his third match point.