Taiwan’s top table tennis player Lin Yun-ju made his debut in the US professional table tennis scene by taking on a new role as a team’s co-owner.
On Wednesday, Major League Table Tennis (MLTT), founded in September last year, announced on its official Web site that Lin had become part of the ownership group of the Princeton Revolution, one of the league’s eight teams.
MLTT chief executive officer Flint Lane described Lin’s investment as “another great milestone for table tennis in America,” saying that the league’s “commitment to growth and innovation is drawing attention from the best in the sport, and we’re honored by the interest and support of such talented athletes.”
Photo: CNA
Nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” Lin was said to have invested in the team at the invitation of Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany, a top-ranked table tennis player who defeated Lin in the men’s singles bronze-medal match at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The two were former teammates in Germany’s premier table tennis league, the Bundesliga.
“Having Lin on board is another significant step for the Princeton Revolution and MLTT,” Ovtcharov, one of the team’s initial co-owners, was quoted as saying.
“It shows the positive momentum MLTT is building within the global table tennis community.”
The other owners of the Princeton Revolution are entrepreneurs Roger Kang and Andre Liu, the MLTT said.
Meanwhile, Lin yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the WTT Champions Frankfurt tournament after a 3-2 victory over world No. 12 Dang Qiu of Germany.
This win marked their first matchup since 2019 when Lin defeated Qiu 4-0 at the Budapest stop of the WTT series.
In the women’s singles, Cheng I-Ching was to play He Zhuojia of China in the round-of-16 after press time last night.
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