Singaporeans win mixed and men’s doubles titles at World Table Tennis Feeder Antalya

SINGAPORE – The Republic’s table tennis players tasted success on the senior World Table Tennis circuit when Clarence Chew and Zeng Jian emerged victorious in the WTT Feeder Antalya mixed doubles final, before Koen Pang and Izaac Quek followed suit in the men’s doubles final on Saturday.

At the Gloria Sports Arena, world No. 49 Chew and Zeng came from behind to beat Romania’s 142nd-ranked Darius Movileanu and Elena Zaharia 3-2 (7-11, 11-9, 4-11, 11-6, 11-8).

In the earlier rounds, they overcame Serbia’s Dimitrije Levajac and Izabela Lupulesku (30th) 3-1, Ukraine’s Anton Limonv and Solomiya Brateyko (115th) 3-2 and unranked Malaysians Danny Ng and Im Li Ying 3-0.

The Singaporean duo were first paired in 2019, but started playing together regularly only from 2022. Both players also reached the quarter-finals of their respective singles events in Turkey.

Chew, 27, said: “We were prepared for a tough match and we knew that there were going to be certain periods where we might be at a disadvantage tactically, but it was important we remained focused and calm even when we were behind to come up with solutions to win the match, which I’m happy we did.”

Zeng, 26, added: “At the decisive moments, we felt nervous because the opponents were producing high-quality shots to put us under pressure. But we have grown to be resolute and more stable in situations like these.

“I think we grew in terms of chemistry and have become more sure about our style of play. Whenever one of us is a bit off, the other player is able to rise up to hold the fort or turn things around. This was very crucial for us this week. There are still individual aspects to brush up on, but every win gives us more confidence in our game.”

Hours later, world No. 74 Pang and Quek breezed past Belgian Adrien Rassenfosse and Algerian Mehdi Bouloussa, who are unranked, 3-0 (11-8, 11-2, 11-2).

In the earlier rounds, they defeated unranked Iranians Soroosh Amiri Nia and Navid Shams 3-1, Belgium’s Florent Lambiet and Martin Allegro (28th) 3-1 and unranked Malaysians Javen Choong and Wong Qi Shen 3-1.

The Singapore players will return home before they battle at the April 23-29 WTT Star Contender Bangkok, ahead of the May 5-17 SEA Games.

National women’s coach Jing Junhong, who is with the players in Turkey, said: “These titles are a boost to our young team as the first triumphs on the WTT senior international circuit.

“While the feeder tour is not high on the event structure, it is still very competitive. To be able to overcome difficulties and win is a key quality and we hope they can continue to raise their levels in future tournaments.”