Singapore’s Zhou Jingyi wins Portuguese table tennis league with CTM Mirandela

SINGAPORE – With the scores deadlocked at 2-2 in the deciding series, and a league title on the line, Singapore table tennis player Zhou Jingyi showed skill and steadiness to deliver the winning point to help CTM Mirandela clinch Portugal’s Campeonato Nacional 1 Divisao Feminina championship on June 22.

The 19-year-old, who is in her first season at the Portuguese club, told The Straits Times: “Playing in the league is very different from the other international competitions that I’ve been through.

“Being able to emerge victorious under pressure, I learnt how to better stay calm and play my game even under such circumstances.

“I feel very happy and proud to be part of this team and conclude my first league season here on such a good note.”

Trained by Portugal national women’s team coach Xie Juan, Mirandela are serial winners. They now have 23 league titles, 25 Portuguese Cups and 19 Super Cups after completing the treble this season.

But it was not plain sailing for the champions in the best-of-three league final against GDCS Juncal.

Mirandela looked set to claim victory with a 3-0 win in the first leg on Terceira Island on June 15, only to lose 3-2 in the second leg at home on June 21 to set up a grandstand finish in Mirandela.

In the roller-coaster deciding leg, Mirandela trailed 0-1 before taking a 2-1 lead and then relinquishing the advantage.

The stage was set for Zhou to shine and she kept the trophy in Mirandela with a 3-0 (11-4, 11-4, 11-4) sweep over Tatiana Garnova to maintain her unbeaten streak of four wins in the final series.

On June 23, she added another feather in her cap by winning the Under-19 league as Mirandela beat Juncal 3-0.

The opportunity to play in Portugal was facilitated by the Singapore Table Tennis Association.

It has also placed other national players such as Zeng Jian, Izaac Quek (both in France) – who have also qualified for the Olympics – and Wong Xin Ru (Austria) in European leagues to provide them with a more competitive environment.

Zhou believes this experience will help her do well in her Olympic debut in Paris from July 26 to Aug 11.

She said: “Throughout the season, I had to adjust to the venues and the different playing styles of my European opponents.

“I strongly believe that this will benefit me in the Olympics as I will have to adjust quickly to the new environment and still deliver my best game.”

National women’s team coach Jing Junhong pointed to significant improvements in Zhou’s game and maturity, as she stepped out of her comfort zone to train and play in Europe and on the world tour.

She said: “The Portuguese league may not be as strong as the top French and German leagues. But Mirandela proved their capability by making it to the semi-finals of the Europe Cup, which is the second tier of the continental competition after the European Champions League.

“League competition provides her the opportunity to play many matches week-in, week-out, so Jingyi can learn how to adapt to different and difficult conditions, and decide what changes to make and what strategies to use. This helps her to better understand what it takes to do well in competitions.

“She has made significant improvement since playing in the Portuguese league, which shows in how she has narrowed the gap against stronger opponents while playing on the world tour.

“I believe she can still get better.”