Drinkhall comes of age at Dunlop Masters

PAUL Drinkhall claimed the biggest scalp of his career but was then given a table tennis lesson by world number six Vladimir Samsonov.

FULL OF PROMISE: Paul Drinkhall beats British rival Darius Knight in the quarter-final of the Dunlop Masters at London's Royal Albert Hall (Getty Images)

The British number one reached the final of the Dunlop Masters at London's Royal Albert Hall but with over 100 rankings places between him and Samsanov, he was always going to struggle.

However, he pushed the experienced Belarusian in their first ever encounter, eventually going down 3-1.

And he will leave buoyed by a semi-final victory over the legendary Jorgen Persson, which underlined the 19-year old's growing reputation.

"I'm very pleased with how I played and my performances," said Drinkhall, who will head to the Commonwealth Championships in Glasgow later this month in confident mood.

"I've proved I can compete against some of the best players in the world and that's a big step and hopefully I can back next year and go one better."

Drinkhall looked edgy during his quarter-final win over British number two Darius Knight but lifted his game when it mattered.

Drinkhall was still in nappies when Persson won his world title in 1991 but even at 43, the Swede is still mixing it with the world's best.

While Drinkhall sat at home, after he missed out on qualification, the evergreen Persson finished fourth in Beijing last year, his sixth Olympic appearance.

And despite losing the first set, Drinkhall stormed back to win the next three to book his final place against Samsanov, who beat Belgium John Michel Saive in straight sets in his semi.