Story by Yvonne Yap/Red Sports. Photos by Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports.
In the quarter-finals, DPR Korea’s Kim Song I prepares to serve up a forehand to South Korea’s Yang Haeun. Kim won the match 14-12, 5-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-9. South Korea were the favourites to win this draw, with World No. 2 Yang Haeun and World No. 9 Kim Dong Hyun, while DPR Korea’s players were unseeded. DPR Korea eventually moved into the semi-finals with a score of 2-0. (Photo 1 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Toa Payoh Sports Hall, Friday, July 3, 2009 – Hosts Singapore have to settle for joint-bronze with Chinese Taipei in the Asian Youth Games (AYG) Table Tennis Mixed Team competition after losing 0-2 to China in the semi-finals. China will take on DPR Korea in the final.
Chinese Taipei lost to DPR Korea 1-2 in a match that had gone down to the wire. Kim Song I took the girls’ singles in 3 straight games beating Taipei’s Huang Hsin 11-5, 11-5, 11-6. Taipei then placed themselves back in the running for a spot in the finals when Hung Tzu-Hsiang triumphed over Kim Jin Su 11-3, 11-13, 11-7, 11-6. The final and crucial match was eventually won by DPR Korea’s mixed doubles duo in scores of 12-10, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4.
China will play DPR Korea in the Table Tennis mixed team final at 6pm on Saturday. The 2 teams have met previously in the group stage, where China won 3-0 and look likely to repeat the feat.
The Japanese coach congratulated his players after they put up a tough fight against China in the quarter-finals. The match saw Japan’s Niwa Koki and Tanioka Ayuka force both singles matches to 5 games, only to eventually lose out 0-2. The coach said, “It was a good job, they tried their best. What a pity.” (Photo 2 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
“I was nervous in the first 2 games against Japan,” China’s Chen Meng admitted when asked how she felt when she was trailing Tanioka. She eventually got her act together and won 2-11, 9-11, 14-12, 11-7, 11-6. (Photo 3 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
“I hoped they will emerge Champions…” Japan’s Coach revealed his hopes for the team after the match. Maybe next year, during the Youth Olympic Games 2010. (Photo 4 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Taipei Coach Liu Jun Lin said in Chinese, after his team won the quarter-finals against Hong Kong, “I am happy with their performance, they performed to their usual standards.” Chin Hsiao-Chun won her singles 11-7, 12-10, 7-11, 11-5 while Hung Tzu-Hsiang won his match 11-5, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7. (Photo 5 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
India’s Avik Das giving Clarence a good challenge in the Mixed Teams quarter-finals. Even though Clarence was ranked 34 places below Avik, who is World No. 114, Clarence used his home soil advantage to take the match 11-7, 11-4, 12-10. (Photo 6 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
Chinese Taipei had to remove Hong Kong in the quarter-finals before they took on DPR Korea in the semi-finals. Chinese Taipei lost 0-2 to DPR Korea to settle for a joint-bronze. (Photo 7 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
While DPR Korea had to overcome South Korea in their quarter-final derby en-route to the final against another East Asian giant, China. (Photo 8 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)
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