Liam Pitchford went out in the last 16 of the Bulgaria Open today as he was defeated in a deciding seventh set by Chuang Chih-Yuan of Chinese Taipei.

It was a back-and-forth tussle between Pitchford, the sixth seed, and a man he had beaten at the World Team Championships last year. Ultimately, it was Chuang’s fast start in the final game which decided it, as he opened a 6-2 lead and continued to hold Pitchford at arm’s length.

Click here to watch Pitchford v Chuang (registration required).

Chuang, currently ranked No 36 but a player who was inside the top 10 for many years and reach a high of No 3, goes on to play Portugal’s Marcos Freitas in the quarter-finals.

Result

Men’s Singles
Round of 16
Chuang Chih-Yuan (TPE) bt Liam Pitchford 4-3 (5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-5)