Table Tennis

Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus defeated Belgian Jean-Michel Saive 4-1 yesterday to win his third men's singles European table tennis title in a row. In the women's competition Jia Liu of Austria crushed Romanian Mihaela Steff 4-0 to win her first title.

Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus defeated Belgian Jean-Michel Saive 4-1 yesterday to win his third men's singles European table tennis title in a row. In the women's competition Jia Liu of Austria crushed Romanian Mihaela Steff 4-0 to win her first title. Samsonov, Europe's second ranked men's player, brushed aside Saive, who injured his right thumb during the match. The 35-year-old Belgian, European champion in 1994 and seeded fifth, fought on with a heavily bandaged thumb clearly in discomfort but could not restrain the tall Belarussian.

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