China’s Zhendong Fan reacts after winning his quarter-final against Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto.
10:34 JST, August 2, 2024
PARIS, Aug 1 (Reuters) – China’s second-seeded Fan Zhendong held on in the final minutes of the seventh game against Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto to secure a place in the semi-finals of the men’s table tennis tournament at the Paris Olympics.
He will face French favourite Felix Lebrun, who earlier in the day won an exciting match against Taiwan’s Lin Yun-Ju, supported by a packed stadium including French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
Seventeen-year-old Lebrun and nineteen-year-old Lin took turns claiming the first six games, but Lebrun started the deciding game with a 7-0 lead. As Lin tried to catch up, it was too late and gave Lebrun an 11-6 victory.
Harimoto kept the Chinese fans on their toes from the start by winning the first game against Fan 11-2 and followed that up with a hard-fought 11-9 victory in the second. But the resilient Fan fought back and in the seventh game, at 7-7, it looked like it could be anyone’s match.
When I was behind, I felt I didn’t panic or panic. Later I think I was able to make some adjustments and change the rhythm, said Fan, who will go on to defend China’s gold in the event after the surprise elimination of his teammate Wang Chuqin.
South Korea’s Shin Yubin defeated Japan’s Hirano Miu 4-3 in a fierce battle in the women’s singles quarter-finals that left both players in tears.
Numbers four and eight were expected to put up a close fight, but it initially remained a one-sided battle as Shin took the lead by winning the first three games.
However, after a long break, Miu came back and won with fast, long rallies, leveling the score at 3-3.
Shin recovered and a strong forehand in the final game secured a 13-11 victory.
Shin, who still has a smile on her face even in defeat, is now aiming for her second medal in Paris. She won bronze in the mixed doubles, ending South Korea’s 12-year medal drought in table tennis.
She will face Chinese reigning women’s champion Chen Meng in the semi-finals. Another Chinese player, Sun Yingsha, will face Japan’s Hina Hayata in the semi-finals on Friday.
Brazil’s Hugo Calderano, who became the first South American to reach the semi-finals in a men’s Olympic event, moved closer to a medal.
Calderano, 28, dominated South Korean Jang Woo-jin from the start and finished with a 4-0 victory within half an hour. He will face Truls Moregard, who is on an incredible run after beating Wang Chuqin and defeating Egyptian table tennis player Omar Assar.
It’s an even bigger achievement to be the first outside of Asia or Europe, Calderano said. “It’s really nice to represent a whole continent. At the same time, I want so much more,” Calderano added.
