Por CBTM
The
On Wednesday 25th January 2006 he completed his group stages matches by beating
"My feeling for the ball was good after the Liebherr Slovenian Open", explained Josef PLACHY. "I fought hard there and it was the same here but now I've come through the group stage I think I'll play better, no two halls are the same and it's not easy playing somewhere which is slightly different to where you played the previous week."
In no way is Josef PLACHY being critical of the premises provided by
Nevertheless it would seem that in 2006 Josef PLACHY is playing some of the best table tennis of his career and his win against JAPEC was impressive, especially when you consider the verdict the last time they met. "I'd played him before and lost but today I played more strongly", explained Josef PLACHY. "I made a good start, I won the first three games and that gave me confidence, I think now my forehand is stronger and I'm more aggressive"
However, following his efforts in Slovenia last week surely Josef PLACHY is not short of confidence. "Last week the first match was tough, it was my first match in the tournament because I didn't have to play in the qualification stage", said PLACHY. "I played Dragutin SURBEK; he'd played in the group matches so he was accustomed to the hall, I won the close games and after that I think he lost a little confidence."
PLACHY won in six games and then faced the Polish penholder WANG Zeng Yi. "It was good for me playing against the penholder, I could attack his backhand and that suited me", said PLACHY. "So long as I concentrated on his backhand I was fine." Again PLACHY had been impressive but in the third round he faced a player whom he would no doubt rather have avoided, the Dominican Republic's LIN Ju.
"I don't like playing against that style of play", explained PLACHY. LIN Ju is the modern day defender, long pimples on the backhand to exert backspin on the ball and reversed rubber on the forehand for a fast topspin. "It's the third time I'd played him and on the two previous occasions I'd lost easily, four-nil and four-one." The previous occasions were the last sixteen of the Men's Singles event at the Liebherr Croatian Open in 2005 and in the semi-finals of the ETTU Nancy Evans Cup when he was representing AS Pontoise Cergy against SV Plüderhausen earlier in January. "However, when we played in January I felt I had a chance, I lost three-one and in the second game led 10-8 before losing."
The fact that he had come so close in that match gave him belief in Slovenia and he capitalised on that belief in Croatia.
PLACHY has not been a regular on the ITTF Pro Tour but when he plays he seems to do rather well, especially in 2006. "I know I can't play in the Liebherr Qatar Open because I have a match for AS Pontoise Cergy in Metz in the French League", he explained. "I might go to Kuwait but of course travelling the ITTF Pro Tour tournaments in Asia is so expensive."
Perhaps we might see in Bremen for the Liebherr 48th World Team Championships? "The team's not yet decided", he said. "I've not played in any European League matches so I'll just have to wait and see."
Well most certainly his efforts in Slovenia and now in Croatia have given the Czech Republic selectors a timely reminder that Josef PLACHY is most worthy of consideration, thirty-five years old on the 1st April 2006, he's nobody's fool and he now has a wealthy of international experience that could prove absolutely invaluable.
