South Korea’s Shin Yu-bin beat Japan’s Hirano Miu 4-3 in an epic battle in the women’s table tennis singles quarterfinal which left both players in tears after more than an hour on Thursday.
The fourth and eighth seeds were expected to run each other close but the match was initially one-sided, as Shin stormed into the lead by winning the first three games. However, after an extensive break, Miu made a comeback, prevailing in fast long rallies to level the match at 3-3.
Shin regained her footing, though, and a strong forehand in the final game helped secure it 13-11 and the victory. A mentally resilient Shin is now eyeing her second medal in Paris. Always wearing a sweet smile, she had already earned a bronze in mixed doubles, ending South Korea’s 12-year medal drought in table tennis.
Brazil’s Hugo Calderano, who became the first South American to reach the semi finals in an Olympic men’s singles event, edged closer to a medal while benefiting from Wednesday’s surprise elimination of world number one Wang Chuqin. Calderano, 28, dominated South Korea’s Jang Woo-jin from the onset, finishing with a 4-0 victory within half an hour and impressing the crowd with his powerful forehand topspin.
“It’s an even bigger feat that I’m the first outside of Asia or Europe,” said Calderano. “I had some emotions after the match. It’s really nice to represent a whole continent.”
“At the same time, I want so much more. I want to keep going, reach the final, and maybe even win a gold medal,” added Calderano, whose girlfriend, compatriot Bruna Takahashi, reached the round of 32 in singles, cheered him on.
China’s defending women’s champion Chen Meng, the number two seed, enjoyed a 4-0 win over Austria’s Sofia Polcanova, who was scoreless in the third game. The Austrian fought hard to restore some pride in the fourth game but lost it 11-8 and the match.
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