TOKYO – Singapore’s top paddler Feng Tianwei saw her Tokyo 2020 women’s singles campaign come to an end in the round of 16 when she was beaten 4-1 (13-11, 11-7, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8) by Germany’s world No. 22 Han Ying at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Tuesday (July 27).
The world No. 9, a women’s team silver medallist at Beijing 2008 and winner of a women’s singles and team bronze at London 2012, had never beaten the 22nd-ranked German in all four of their previous international encounters but could have pinched the first game for a good start.
However, after coming back from 9-6 down to lead 10-6, Feng squandered two game points to lose 13-11, and continued to struggle with the defensive chopper. In the second game, she took a 4-0 lead only to be pegged back once again.
The 34-year-old raised hopes of a comeback when she took the fourth game, but Han, a silver medallist in the women’s team event at Rio 2016, was not to be denied as she forced more mistakes out of the higher-ranked player.
Feng’s compatriot Yu Mengyu fared better in an earlier match as she beat American Liu Juan 4-2 to advance to the quarter-finals, where she will meet Japan’s world No. 10 Kasumi Ishikawa.
Meanwhile, home hopes of a men’s singles medal were dashed in the round of 16 as Slovenia’s world No. 28 Darko Jorgic beat fourth-ranked Tomokazu Harimoto 4-3 (10-12, 11-9, 11-3, 10-12, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7) while Germany’s world No. 8 Dimitrij Ovtcharov ousted 17th-ranked Koki Niwa 4-1 (11-4, 7-11, 11-0, 11-7, 11-9).
