Paddlers Emerge As Champions With Character
WTT Youth Star Contender Singapore, Singapore Smash 2024
In front of a home crowd, Ser Lin Qian demonstrated fearlessness as she progressively outperformed three Chinese opponents en route to reaching the WTT Youth Star Contender Under-19 Girls' Singles final, where she faced yet another Chinese opponent.
“My coach told me to treat them like any other opponent, and not think of them as undefeatable because they are from China. That struck me and I became more daring on court,” shared the 2022 Singapore Sportsgirl of the Year during an interview with The Straits Times. Her confidence soared after a stunning victory over Under-19 Girls’ Singles world No. 5, Xu Yi, with a score of 3-1 (11-13, 12-10, 12-10, 11-6) in the round of 16.
The Diploma in Business Studies student-athlete continued her impressive performance by defeating the 19th-ranked Zong Geman 3-0 (11-3, 11-9, 11-9) in the quarter-finals, followed by a thrilling 3-2 (7-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6) victory over Zhang Xiangyu in the semi-finals. These wins secured her a spot in the Under-19 Singles final against Qin Yuxuan, where despite a valiant effort, she settled for a silver with a score of 0-3 (7-11, 2-11, 10-12).
Reflecting on her achievement, she remarked, “I played very well in every game, I thought about every ball, executed what I can, and I’m very glad to achieve this result.”
Meanwhile, Loy Ming Ying, a Secondary 2 student-athlete, made a name for herself at the Singapore Smash by becoming the youngest player ever to win a singles match in the event's history. The 13-year-old initially took a knock to her confidence as the more experienced Audrey Zarif stole the lead in the first game. French table tennis player, Audrey Zarif is twice the age of Ming Ying and is one of the top 100 Women’s Singles players in world ranking. Despite that, Ming Ying remained composed in the remaining 3 games to seal the victory with 3-1 in the qualifying round.
Izaac Quek also earned recognition for his excellent sportsmanship at the Singapore Smash. During his first-round Men’s Singles match on 11 March, a return from Egypt’s Omar Assar clipped the edge of the table but went unnoticed by the umpire, who awarded the point to Izaac. Recognising the error, Izaac immediately spoke up and the point was reversed.
“We both saw it and I didn’t think twice about giving him the point. It was definitely the right thing to do,” Izaac stated. While disappointed that he couldn't replicate his stunning performance from the previous year, his act of sportsmanship garnered the respect of his opponent and the appreciative crowd at the OCBC Arena.
Photo Credit: Singapore Table Tennis Association
In front of a home crowd, Ser Lin Qian demonstrated fearlessness as she progressively outperformed three Chinese opponents en route to reaching the WTT Youth Star Contender Under-19 Girls' Singles final, where she faced yet another Chinese opponent.
“My coach told me to treat them like any other opponent, and not think of them as undefeatable because they are from China. That struck me and I became more daring on court,” shared the 2022 Singapore Sportsgirl of the Year during an interview with The Straits Times. Her confidence soared after a stunning victory over Under-19 Girls’ Singles world No. 5, Xu Yi, with a score of 3-1 (11-13, 12-10, 12-10, 11-6) in the round of 16.
The Diploma in Business Studies student-athlete continued her impressive performance by defeating the 19th-ranked Zong Geman 3-0 (11-3, 11-9, 11-9) in the quarter-finals, followed by a thrilling 3-2 (7-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6) victory over Zhang Xiangyu in the semi-finals. These wins secured her a spot in the Under-19 Singles final against Qin Yuxuan, where despite a valiant effort, she settled for a silver with a score of 0-3 (7-11, 2-11, 10-12).
Reflecting on her achievement, she remarked, “I played very well in every game, I thought about every ball, executed what I can, and I’m very glad to achieve this result.”
Meanwhile, Loy Ming Ying, a Secondary 2 student-athlete, made a name for herself at the Singapore Smash by becoming the youngest player ever to win a singles match in the event's history. The 13-year-old initially took a knock to her confidence as the more experienced Audrey Zarif stole the lead in the first game. French table tennis player, Audrey Zarif is twice the age of Ming Ying and is one of the top 100 Women’s Singles players in world ranking. Despite that, Ming Ying remained composed in the remaining 3 games to seal the victory with 3-1 in the qualifying round.
Izaac Quek also earned recognition for his excellent sportsmanship at the Singapore Smash. During his first-round Men’s Singles match on 11 March, a return from Egypt’s Omar Assar clipped the edge of the table but went unnoticed by the umpire, who awarded the point to Izaac. Recognising the error, Izaac immediately spoke up and the point was reversed.
“We both saw it and I didn’t think twice about giving him the point. It was definitely the right thing to do,” Izaac stated. While disappointed that he couldn't replicate his stunning performance from the previous year, his act of sportsmanship garnered the respect of his opponent and the appreciative crowd at the OCBC Arena.