Singapore Women's and Men's Paddlers to face Thailand and Vietnam in Team Finals

Li Hu of Singapore in action against Indonesia's Ficky Supit Santoso. photo: Veronica Long / SINGSOC

Singapore’s Women’s Table Tennis Team was off at a rough start in the semifinal as Malaysia’s Ng Sock Khim proved to be no easy opponent for Yu Mengyu. Ng threw down the gauntlet early in the match by winning the first game 13-11. Yu, keeping up with the pace, rose up to the task by winning the next two games. Ng took the fourth after an intense battle which ended 12-10, but it was Yu who emerged victorious by clinching the fifth game 11-5. The subsequent Malaysian opponents were less of a threat as Feng Tianwei and Isabelle Li eased to victories against Lee Rou You and Angeline Tang, taking Singapore to the finals with a perfect score of 3-0.

Feng Tianwei (left) overcomes Lee Rou You of Malaysia as Singapore reached the Women's Team Finals. photo: Veronica Long / SINGSOC

Over at the next court, the other semifinal saw Thailand up against Vietnam for the second spot in the finals. First up for the Vietnam team was Nguyen Thi Nga who managed to snag the first game with a score of 11-8. Komwong Nanthana, with years of experience under her belt, made a comeback and won the following three games, giving the win of the first match to Thailand. It was up to Vietnam’s Mai Hoang My Trang to level the score in the second set, and she did not disappoint by beating Thailand’s Tamolwan Khetkhuan in straight games. However, Mai’s efforts proved in vain as Thailand’s Orawan Paranang and Nanthana Komwong won the next two sets, handing Thailand the win and the chance to compete for the gold medal.

The first Men’s Team semifinal saw Singapore’s Gao Ning begin with a bang as he made quick work against Maulana Gilang of Indonesia, while Li Hu also dispatched his opponent Ficky Supit Santoso with a 3-0 thrashing in the second set. Clarence Chew sealed his victory over Akhmad Dahlan Haruri with a score of 3-1, securing Singapore’s spot in the finals.

The next semifinal matchup pitted Vietnam against Malaysia, where Vietnam’s Tran Tuan Quynh started off strong with a perfect 3-0 against Leong Chee Feng. In the second set, Muhd Shakirin Ibrahim countered hard against Quang Linh Dinh and closed the match at 3-0. A stunning battle ensued in the next set between Nguyen Anh Tu and Muhamad A. H. Muhamad R, where Ngyuen took the set in four games, winning 7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-6. Sending in their next players, Tran Tuan Quynh and Muhd Shakirin Ibrahim went on the court once more and gave their all to clinch a spot in the final. Despite Ibrahim’s best efforts, Tran sealed the match with the score of 3-1, where they would meet Singapore later in the evening.