Michael Maze
Encyclopedia
Michael Maze is a male table tennis
player from Faxe
, Denmark
. He normally plays both in the men's singles and in men's doubles. As of 2005, he is one of the top five left-handed
players in the world. His strength is in his strong forehand loop and lobbing. He is considered to be one of the best, if not the best, defensive lobbers in the world right now. His strong forehand loop, his forehand pendulum serve, and his confident defensive play away from the table makes him a solid all-around player.
. Tugwell and Maze participated as partners at the 2000 Summer Olympics
where they reached the quarter finals. Maze participated both in men's singles and men's doubles in Table tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics
. Maze lost his first match in men's singles but won bronze with his partner Finn Tugwell.
Maze's latest achievement was in reaching the semi finals of the 2005 world championship that took place in Shanghai, China, in which he was defeated by the home favorite, Ma Lin, in a swift 4-0 match.
Nevertheless, he has managed to put up a memorable performance in the quarter finals of the competition, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3 against another Chinese player, Hao Shuai, saving 3 match points; as well as in the previous match, a win against 2004 Olympics Men's singles silver medallist Wang Hao
, again from the host nations.
Michael Maze won the prize "BT Gold" as the biggest Danish sportperson in 2005.
Michael Maze won European bronze in single in 2007.
In 2009, Maze had reached the quarter finals of 2009 World Table Tennis Championships
, held in Yokohama
, Japan
. He was the only Europe
an player to achieve the quarters, beating Greek
player Panagiotis Gionnis at last 16 Round.
On September 20, 2009 he defeated Werner Schlager
in the final of the European Championships held in Stuttgart
, Germany
after defeating the German favorite Timo Boll
in the semis.
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
player from Faxe
Faxe
Faxe or Fakse is a town in Denmark in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand.Before the Danish Kommunalreformen , Fakse was also a municipality...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. He normally plays both in the men's singles and in men's doubles. As of 2005, he is one of the top five left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
players in the world. His strength is in his strong forehand loop and lobbing. He is considered to be one of the best, if not the best, defensive lobbers in the world right now. His strong forehand loop, his forehand pendulum serve, and his confident defensive play away from the table makes him a solid all-around player.
Career
Maze won the Europe Top 12 tournament in Frankfurt am Main in February 2004 and won the European Junior Championship in both singles and doubles. He reached the quarter finals in the European Championship for seniors in both series in 2003 playing doubles with Finn TugwellFinn Tugwell
Finn Tugwell is a Danish table tennis professional. He pairs up with Danish Michael Maze in doubles, with whom he won the bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, beating the Russian pair Dmitry Mazunov/Alexey Smirnov....
. Tugwell and Maze participated as partners at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
where they reached the quarter finals. Maze participated both in men's singles and men's doubles in Table tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Table tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics
thumb|rightTable tennis at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Galatsi Olympic Hall with 172 competitors in 4 events.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:*...
. Maze lost his first match in men's singles but won bronze with his partner Finn Tugwell.
Maze's latest achievement was in reaching the semi finals of the 2005 world championship that took place in Shanghai, China, in which he was defeated by the home favorite, Ma Lin, in a swift 4-0 match.
Nevertheless, he has managed to put up a memorable performance in the quarter finals of the competition, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3 against another Chinese player, Hao Shuai, saving 3 match points; as well as in the previous match, a win against 2004 Olympics Men's singles silver medallist Wang Hao
Wang Hao (table tennis)
Wáng Hào is a Chinese table tennis player. He became the World Champion in Men's Singles in Yokohama, Japan in May 2009, defeating 3-time World Champion Wang Liqin 4-0. Other notable accomplishments are the 3-time World Cup Champion in 2007, 2008 and 2010, Singles Silver medalist at the 2004...
, again from the host nations.
Michael Maze won the prize "BT Gold" as the biggest Danish sportperson in 2005.
Michael Maze won European bronze in single in 2007.
In 2009, Maze had reached the quarter finals of 2009 World Table Tennis Championships
2009 World Table Tennis Championships
The 2009 H.I.S. World Table Tennis Championships were held in Yokohama, Japan, from 28 April to 5 May 2009. The Chinese team dominated the competition, following their sweep of the gold medals in table tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics...
, held in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He was the only Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an player to achieve the quarters, beating Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
player Panagiotis Gionnis at last 16 Round.
On September 20, 2009 he defeated Werner Schlager
Werner Schlager
Werner Schlager is a former world champion table tennis player from Austria.-Career:Schlager began playing table tennis when he was six years old, learning from his father and brother who were also top Austrian players, making them ideal training partners...
in the final of the European Championships held in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
after defeating the German favorite Timo Boll
Timo Boll
Timo Boll is a German professional table tennis player who currently plays with Borussia Düsseldorf and is the German No.1 of the German Table Tennis National League...
in the semis.