Table tennis: Singapore women fall to Japan at Asian Championships quarter-finals

Singapore paddler Wong Xin Ru playing in the Asian Table Tennis Championships in Wuxi, China. PHOTO: COURTESY OF INTERNATIONAL TABLE TENNIS FEDERATION

SINGAPORE - The Singapore women's table tennis team fell at the quarter-final stage of the Asian Table Tennis Championships on Monday (April 10) after being whitewashed 3-0 by powerhouses Japan.

With world No. 3 Feng Tianwei surprisingly left out, the Singaporean trio of Wong Xin Ru, Eunice Lim and Tan En Hui were easily dismantled by their Japanese opponents, who included Olympic bronze medallist and world No. 8 Mima Ito.

Singapore Table Tennis Association senior high performance manager Eddy Tay said Feng, 30, was being rested for Tuesday's fifth to eigth place play-off against North Korea.

In Feng's absence, Xin Ru took on Ito and lost 5-11, 2-11, 8-11. Eunice lost 3-11, 8-11, 5-11 to world No. 11 Miu Hirano,while En Hui lost 3-11, 1-11, 5-11 to Hina Hayata.

Singapore had earlier overcame Malaysia 3-1 to book their berth in the last eight.

In that tie, Feng anchored the team with two points, beating Lee Rou You (11-2, 11-6, 11-5) and Ng Sock Khim (11-5, 11-4, 11-9). Zhang Wanling lost 6-11, 5-11, 12-10, 5-11 to Ng, but Xin Ru scored the winning point when she beat Ho Ying 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6.

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