Germany defeats Australia in women’s team event

Australian paddlers were defeated in straight matches by no.3-seeded Germany in the round-of-16 of the  women’s team event, which got underway today at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

The trio of Jian Fang Lay, Melissa Tapper and Michelle Bromley fought bravely, but ultimately could not match the quality of their opponents, who had already claimed a silver medal in the same event at the Rio 2016 Olympics. 

After the German pair of Solja and Shan won the opening Doubles match 3-0 against Tapper and Bromley (11-1, 11-5, 11-4), Jian Fang Lay faced defensive specialist Ying Han in a rematch of the Women’s Singles third round, which the German had taken in four close games last Tuesday.

Once again the two opponents fought point for point right from the start, with Han winning the first game by the narrowest of margins (13-11) after saving a game point for Lay on 10-11. Han also had an early lead in the second game, until Lay was able to change the momentum of the set and close out at 11-9.

The Australian continued to show flashes of brilliance and managed to force a decider in commanding fashion after losing the third game. But Han opened the last game with a 6-0 run and put a spectacular match out of reach, taking the win 3-2 (13-11, 9-11, 4-11, 7-11, 11-2).  

After Lay’s loss, it was up to Michelle Bromley to keep Australia in the match against Xiaona Shan. Bromley trailed 0-2 and had a chance to bring back a game on 8-6 in the third, but eventually had to concede defeat in straight sets (2-11, 3-11, 9-11) for a 3-0 German win overall.

Despite the disappointment for the loss, Michelle Bromley said the Australian team were satisfied with their performance after matching up to such a top-class team.

“I think everyone did a great job today,” she said. “They were always going to be tough competition for us. Jian in particular played extremely well, just losing narrowly.

“For me, even though it was my first Olympic Games, I was super excited to get out on the court and compete for Australia. Obviously there are always nerves involved, but you just try to push through and play your best table tennis,” Bromley said. 

In the end, Jian Fang Lay could not avenge her third-round loss in the Singles against Han, but she closed her sixth Olympic campaign with another brilliant performance. As far as whether this was her last at the Games, the 48-year-old wouldn’t commit. 

“I think I just needed a bit more consistency, but Han was really strong. Sometimes you lose concentration for a second, and suddenly it becomes very easy to lose the point. Those things make a big difference,” she said.

“As far as my mental strength, I still feel strong. I have a lot of experience, so when I come into the hall, I don’t overthink it, I just get the ball on the table. But I just take it one year at a time. I am not thinking long-term at this stage,” Lay said.

Melissa Tapper won’t fly home with her teammates and will stay in Japan to finalise her preparation towards the Paralympic Games, which start on Aug 24. It’s the second consecutive time that Tapper is selected for both events, after Rio 2016. This time, she will aim for a podium in her Paralympic class. 

“I still have a bit of hard work ahead of me and it’s going to be incredibly difficult, but I think a medal is possible, if I play well.

“I am lucky that I had this experience of being inside the stadium and going through the whole process. It helps with feeling more comfortable, which is good,” she said.

Heming Hu, David Powell and Chris Yan will face no.3-seeded Japan in the Men’s team event tomorrow, with Australia taking to the court for their round-of-16 contest at 11am AEST. 

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