AYG Table Tennis: Isabelle and Clarence out of running for a medal in mixed doubles

By Yvonne Yap/Red Sports

Toa Payoh Sports Hall, Saturday, July 4, 2009 – Despite having home ground advantage, Singapore’s mixed doubles duo Isabelle Li and Clarence Chew suffered a defeat this morning in the Asian Youth Games (AYG) Table Tennis Mixed Doubles quarter-finals.

They went down 1-3 to Japan’s Asuka Machi and Rika Suzuki. Japan will move on to the semi-finals, which will be played at 2pm tomorrow at Toa Payoh Sports Hall.

The paddlers had met earlier last week in a practice match, which Singapore won 3-0. This time round, the tables were turned on them as the Japanese dominated the match, causing Clarence and Isabelle to commit unforced errors.

The first game was taken by Asuka and Rika 11-7. Singapore went ahead 2-0 in the first game but struggled to maintain their momentum. However, Rika and Asuka set up a series of exciting rallies with powerful smashes, which Clarence and Isabele both missed a couple of times.

Clarence and Isabelle stormed back to win the second game 11-4 to put Singapore back into contention for a spot in the semi-finals. The duo made sure that the Japanese never got too close to them and stayed comfortably ahead.

Rika and Asuka pulled themselves together after losing the second game and showed why they are ranked World No. 19 and World No. 11 respectively. Their beautiful pushes and strokes captivated the spectators, while their blistering smashes caught Clarence and Isabelle off-guard at times, causing Singapore to drop precious points to them.

The third game was a close battle but Japan edged out to secure another game at 11-9.

With the match hanging by a thread, Isabelle and Clarence had a strong start in the fourth game, leading 6-3 when Asuka missed a return from Clarence. Hopes were high that the local duo would take this game and force Japan to play a fifth and final game.

But 6 points was all the Japanese allowed Clarence and Isabelle to take from them. Rika and Asuka claimed the next 8 points to run out 11-6 winners to make the semi-finals against China’s Chen Meng and Cheng Jingqi.

“Maybe it was a practice match, they were not used to it,” said Clarence when asked how he felt after the match, knowing that they have beaten Rika and Asuka last week in a practice. He shrugged when trying to think of what he could have done better, looking crestfallen after the defeat.

“The last set, Japan was 2-1 up, so they played more freely,” Isabelle commented on Japan’s style of play.

She admits, “I am a little disappointed.”

Japan’s Coach Yamaguchi Enyo beamed after his players’ victory, expressing his hopes for the semi-finals.

“Our final destination? Champions, we want to win.”

It will certainly be a match to watch as they take on Chen Meng and Cheng Jingqi. Chen Meng is ranked the number 1 in the world while his teammate Jingqi is World Number 3.

In the other semi-final, another China duo Yin Hang and Gu Yuting will face South Korea’s Yang Haueun and Kim Dong Hyun.