England’s women bowed out of the ITTF Team World Cup at the Copper Box following a 3-1 defeat to Singapore.
Their quest was boosted by 19-year-old Tin-Tin Ho’s victory in the second match but both Ho and teammate Kelly Sibley couldn’t match the levels set but Singaporean stars Feng Tianwei (world ranked 3) and Yu Mengyu (51) as the Asian side booked a place in the quarter-finals.
First up came the doubles and the England women struggled to get out of the blocks – losing in three straight games. They improved as the match went on and even led 5-1 in the third end forcing Singapore to take a time out. That tactic ultimately working for the Asian side who took a 1-0 lead into the singles.
In the second encounter Tin-Tin was finally able to register England’s first win of the tournament after a slow first game to succeed 8-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-6. Moving quickly into gear in the second game she won key points at 9-8 and 10-8 by winning the battle close to the table.
Next up was Sibley in the second single’s rubber and she showed more fight from the off, challenging world no. 51 Yu Mengyu all the way before succumbing late. She recovered strongly to win the second game but despite showing a lot of spirit, she couldn’t hold a 7-4 lead in the fourth and saw her higher ranked opponent emerge victorious.
The fourth match saw Tin-Tin return to the table to face Feng Tianwei, the world no. 3. After a competitive first game, losing 11-9, Feng showed her class winning 11-3 and 11-5 to seal Singapore’s place in the last eight and eliminate England from the competition.
Following her match Tin-Tin said: “On a personal level it was good I managed to get a win. It was a tough match and I was a bit shaky at the start, but I managed to find the right tactics.
“If I could have got the first set against Hong Kong, things could have changed, but I was happy with how I played.”
Maria Tsaptsinos added: “I felt me and Kelly didn’t really show what we’re capable of in the doubles, and how we’ve been performing in practice, but as a whole the team performed well.
“We don’t play against top-50 players all the time, so it’s good to get that experience.”
Romania, DPR Korea and USA book places in quarter-finals
Romania’s disapointment with failing to beat Chinese Taipei yesterday was soon forgotten as they crushed Australia to reach the quarters. It was a similar story for DPR Korea who dropped only one game in their 3-0 win over Brazil.
In the other match USA sealed their spot with a victory over Egypt. Their opening doubles win proving crucial as Egypt’s star Dina Meshref was unable to return to the table to help guide her team. When the quarter-final draw was made this was the result: Japan v Singapore, DPR Korea v Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong v Romania, USA v China.
Group A
USA 3-1 Egypt
Lily Zhang/Wu Yue bt Farah Abdel-Aziz/Yousra Helmy 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-3)
Dina Meshref bt Amy Wang 3-0 (12-10, 11-1, 11-4)
Wu Yue bt Yousra Helmy 3-1 (11-8, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5)
Amy Wang bt Farah Abdel-Aziz 3-1 (11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 11-5)
Group B
DPR Korea 3-0 Brazil
Kim Nam Hae/Cha Hyo Sim bt Caroline Kumahara/Bruna Takahashi 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 11-7)
Kim Song I bt Gui Lin 3-0 (11-1, 11-6, 11-2)
Kim Nam Hae bt Bruna Takahashi 3-1 (2-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-6)
Group C
Singapore 3-1 England
Feng Tianwei/Yu Mengyu bt Kelly Sibley/Maria Tsaptsinos 3-0 (11-4, 11-2, 11-8)
Tin-Tin Ho bt Zhang Wanling 3-1 (8-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-6)
Yu Mengyu bt Kelly Sibley 3-1 (11-8, 7-11, 11-4, 11-9)
Feng Tianwei bt Tin-Tin Ho 3-0 (11-9, 11-3, 11-5)
Group D
Romania 3-0 Australia
Elizabeta Samara/Daniela Dodean Monteiro bt Parleen Kaur/Lay Jiang Fan 3-0 (11-4, 11-2, 11-2)
Bernadette Szocs bt Melissa Tapper 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-4)
Elizabeta Samara bt Lay Jiang Fang 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-3)