Isabelle Li returns a shot against compatriot Feng Tianwei in the women’s singles final at the GMSB Kuningan on November 16th, 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Isabelle made history by being the youngest Singaporean to play in a SEA Games singles final. (Photo 1 by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images for SSC)
Jakarta, Wednesday, November 16, 2011 — Singapore swept all five gold medals on offer at the South-east Asian (SEA) Games table tennis competition as expected but it was Isabelle Li’s singles silver that proved especially sweet.
Isabelle Li, 17, went down 0-4 (3-11, 4-11, 9-11, 5-11) to fellow Singaporean and world number number four, Feng Tianwei but getting to the final was the main challenge which she managed to overcome. Isabelle also achieved another first — she became the youngest Singaporean to play in a SEA Games singles final, a feat that was witnessed by her mother and sister in the stands.
Isabelle, ranked 150th in the world, had to overcome four opponents on her way to the singles final. In the first round, she beat Mar Lar of Myanmar, Manychanh Dalavong of Laos and Arlene Borja of the Philippines all by identical 3-0 scorelines.
In the semi-finals, Isabelle beat Vietnam’s Mai Hoang My Trang 4-0 (11-8, 11-4, 11-9, 11-8) to set up the historic date with Tianwei in the final.
Isabelle’s only loss came in the women’s doubles quarter-finals. After receiving a first round bye, Isabelle and Zena Sim went down 0-3 (6-11, 2-11, 9-11) to Indonesia’s Christine Ferliana and Fauziah Yuliyanti.
All the table tennis finals were Singapore vs Singapore affairs except for the women’s doubles. In that nail-biting final, Feng Tianwei teamed up with Sun Beibei to slug out a narrow 3-2 (11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9) victory over Komwong Nanthana and Muangsuk Anisara of Thailand.
In all, the table tennis team won five gold and four silver medals to be the most successful SEA Games sport for Singapore after swimming (17 gold, 9 silver, 13 bronze).
Men’s Doubles Final
Ma Liang/Pang Xuejie (SIN) beat Gao Ning/Yang Zi (SIN) 3-1 (11-9, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8)
Men’s Singles Final
Gao Ning (SIN) beat Yang Zi (SIN) 4-0 (11-6, 11-9, 12-10, 11-8)
Mixed Doubles Final
Yang Zi/Sun Beibei (SIN) beat Gao Ning/Feng Tianwei 3-0 (13-11, 11-5, 11-5)
Women’s Doubles Final
Feng Tianwei/Sun Beibei (SIN) beat Komwong Nanthana/Muangsuk Anisara (THA) 3-2 (11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9)
Women’s Singles Final
Feng Tianwei (SIN) beat Isabelle Li Siyun (SIN) 4-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-9, 11-5)
Feng Tianwei returns a shot against Isabelle Li in the final which she won 4-0. (Photo 2 by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images for SSC)
Pang Xuejie (left) and Ma Liang of Singapore compete against fellow Singaporeans Gao Ning and Yang Zi in the final of the men’s doubles on November 15th, 2011. (Photo 3 by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images for SSC)
Sun Beibei (left) and Feng Tianwei in action against Komwong Nanthana and Muangsuk Anisara of Thailand women’s doubles final on November 15th. The Singapore pair won 3-2. (Photo 4 by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images for Singapore Sports Council)
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