Taiwan table tennis paddlers Cheng I-ching (???) and Li Hsin-yu (???) sailed past their opponents Thursday to reach the mixed doubles semifinals at the WTT Contender Muscat 2022 in Oman.
Cheng and Li advanced to the semifinals by defeating French duo Emmanuel Lebesson and Jia Nan Yuan in three straight games 11-9, 11-8, 11-9 in the quarterfinals at Sultan Qaboos Sport Complex in Muscat, Oman.
The Taiwanese next face Chen Xingtong (???) and Wang Chuqin (???) of China in the semifinals.
However, the 30-year-old Cheng, seeded second in the women’s singles event was unexpectedly defeated 11-9, 11-7, 11-9 by unseeded 29-year-old Sarah De Nutte of Luxembourg in the round of 32 Thursday.
The WTT Contender Muscat 2022, held Feb. 27 to March 5, carries a total purse of US$75,000.
Cheng I-ching (???) made headline news in Taiwan last year when she and her partner at the Tokyo Olympics, Lin Yun-ju (???), won a bronze medal, Taiwan’s first Olympic table tennis medal in 21 years.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel