SEA Games 2025: Singapore reclaim gold in table tennis mixed doubles, retain men’s doubles title

BANGKOK – In five outings on the 2025 World Table Tennis circuit, Singapore’s mixed doubles pair Koen Pang and Zeng Jian have never advanced past the round of 16, with Pang describing their partnership as having gone through “many ups and downs”.

On Dec 17, the pair finally had a moment to savour as they triumphed in the SEA Games mixed doubles competition in Bangkok, helping Singapore regain the title last won in Vietnam in 2022.

At the Central Westgate Mall, the world No. 56 Singaporeans beat Malaysia’s 89th-ranked Wong Qi Shen and Tee Ai Xin 11-6, 11-7, 11-2 to claim gold.

Pang, 23, said: “This is probably my first major tournament with Zeng Jian, and definitely our partnership has been pretty good.

“There have been a few ups and downs, but yeah, just very happy to pull through this competition with her.”

Zeng was glad to finally go one better after finishing runner-up in this event for the past two editions.

The 29-year-old said: “I am very happy as I’ve never won it before. Over the course of the competition, we slowly found our footing and perhaps gave us confidence to compete in the final.”

At the 2023 edition in Cambodia, Singapore settled for silver after Clarence Chew and Zeng lost to Vietnam’s Dinh Anh Hoang and Tran Mai Ngoc in the final.

In the previous edition in Vietnam, Pang had won the gold with Wong Xin Ru after defeating Chew and Zeng in the final.

Moments after the mixed doubles victory in Bangkok, Pang partnered Izaac Quek in the men’s doubles as the world No. 8 pair retained their title by beating Malaysia’s 65th-ranked Javen Choong and Wong 11-6, 11-6, 11-6.

This took Singapore’s table tennis gold tally at these Games to three, following the men’s team title on Dec 14.

On their doubles win, Quek said: “I think that me and Koen did a really good job throughout all the matches.

“Koen and I had some really good results this year in our men’s doubles, so we were very confident coming to the event.

“We knew that we got the gold medal last time, so we had what it took to get the gold medal again. But I knew that this time, everyone’s goal was to win against us.”

Pang said they definitely played very well, adding: “We had more or less total control of the game... We were very clear on what to do and managed to execute everything.

“These SEA Games have definitely been exciting and have been the most perfect for me, even though the team event I wasn’t playing as well, but my teammates managed to pull through.”

Men’s national coach Gao Ning said they had prepared for a five-game match, but the pair’s “amazing chemistry” helped them win comfortably.

Gao added: “For Koen, he had some physiotherapy to help ease his pain in his arm (from the team event). It’s not fully recovered yet, but it is the result of wear and usage. Every player experiences this, so we will continue to monitor it.”

When asked if he thinks Quek will be able to match his 2023 tally of three golds, Gao added: “Actually, I think that the men’s singles event is the hardest one, it comes down to who has the better chance on the day, for Izaac to show his standard, but we don’t have fixed expectations.”

In the day’s earlier matches, the women’s doubles pair of Ser Lin Qian and debutante Loy Ming Ying picked up a joint-bronze after falling 3-1 to Thailand’s Tamolwan Khetkhuan and Jinnipa Sawettabut in the semi-finals. Singapore had also won a silver in the women’s team event on Dec 14.

Ser and Zeng will next compete in the women’s singles on Dec 18, with Quek and Ellsworth Le representing Singapore in the men’s singles.