TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's mixed doubles table tennis team, Lin Yun-ju (林昀儒) and Chen Szu-yu (陳思羽), faced a tough defeat on Sunday (July 28) in the Paris Olympics quarterfinals. They lost 2-4 to China's top-ranked duo, Wang Chuqin (王楚欽) and Sun Yingsha (孫穎莎), failing to advance to the semifinals.
According to Central News Agency (CNA), Lin Yun-ju expressed regret over the outcome, noting that they had opportunities to win in the second and fourth games but ultimately fell short. He emphasized that playing more games against such a strong team worked against them, as their opponents increasingly anticipated their strategies.
Chen pointed out that their desire to win may have affected their performance, leading to errors, according to the CNA report. She remarked that when they led 2-1, they might have been too eager to win, causing them to overthink the mistakes. "The opponents' strength was evident, and we couldn't afford any slip-ups," she said.
In the match, Taiwan's team initially led with an 11-7 win in the first game and an 11-6 victory in the third game. However, the Chinese team tied the match by winning the second and fourth games, 11-6 and 11-7, respectively, intensifying the competition.
The critical fifth game saw both teams tied at 5-5 before the Chinese duo scored five consecutive points, leading 10-5. Despite a strong comeback by Lin and Chen, they lost 9-11. The Chinese team then swiftly secured the sixth game 11-3 in just seven minutes, advancing to the semifinals.
Before this match, Lin and Chen had a record of three losses against Wang and Sun, winning only one game in those encounters.
