by Olalekan Okusan
Unbeaten from the group stage with victories over Vanuatu and Romania, Chinese Taipei, led by 27 year old Cheng I-Ching left the tournament with hope of returning to the same venue for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
If there is any match that really showed the quality of the Chinese Taipei at Tokyo 2019, it was the quarter-final encounter against Hong Kong, China.
The tie lasted for more than two hours, giving an inkling of what could come to pass at Tokyo 2020. Thee match balanced at 2-2, it was Cheng I-Ching that stepped up to face Lee Ho Ching. The contest produced many spectacular rallies with both players thrilling the fans, but it was Chinese Taipei’s Cheng that prevailed in four games (9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-7).
“I think we are happy with the way we played in this competition – we all gave our best as a team. I must also say that coming to Tokyo has helped us to get familiar with the venue that will host the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. I think generally, this competition is a good test for us as a team as well as individually. At least we know what to expect next year in terms of the condition of the hall as well as the friendly and charged atmosphere we will witness.” Cheng I-Ching
