Taiwan’s Asian Games squad picked up their second gold medal yesterday when Kuo Po-cheng triumphed in the men’s eight-ball pool singles competition. There was also another silver medal for soft tennis mixed doubles pairing Cheng Chu-ling and Li Chia-hung, while Hang Chia-ling and Liu Chia-lun settled for bronze.
The team also picked up two more bronze medals — Lien Chen-ling in the women’s under-57kg judo and Wen Ching-ni in the women’s Wushu Women’s TaijiquanTaijijian all-round.
In the women’s team tennis, Taiwan overcame a major injury setback to defeat Japan 2-1 in the semi-finals. Chang Kai-chen saw off Ayumi Morita 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, but Chan Yung-jan was then forced to pull out of her clash against veteran Kimiko Date Krumm with a left foot injury when she trailed 6-1, 3-0.
PHOTO: AFP
However, doubles pairing Chuang Chia-jung and Hsieh Su-wei then defeated Morita and Date Krumm 6-4, 6-1 to set up a cross-strait showdown in the final against China.
Taiwan’s men also shrugged off an injury setback when top player Lu Yen-hsun, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist, was forced out of the Games with a back injury.
The 27-year-old Lu also pulled out of the men’s singles and mixed doubles competitions.
In their semi-final against India, Taiwan’s Yang Tsung-hua saw off Krishan Singh 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), before Somdev Devverman leveled the tie with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) win over Chen Ti.
Yang Tsung-hua and Yi Chu-huan then clinched the doubles against Singh and Devverman 6-4, 7-6 (7/1).
In the final, Taiwan will face -Uzbekistan, who defeated Japan 2-1.
In the table tennis, coaches and players complained about the grueling bus ride they face to their Asian Games venue.
“Guangzhou Gymnasium is far away from where we live, so we have to take a bus for about two hours to get to the gymnasium,” Taiwan’s Huang Yi-hua said after her 3-0 victory over India in the mixed doubles yesterday. “I feel a little tired.”
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