Guaranteed medals for Aussie para-table tennis stars in tomorrow’s epic line-up

📷 | Paralympics Australia

Australian para-table tennis athletes will be chasing gold from tomorrow, as a historic Friday in Tokyo secured four guaranteed medals heading into the first of three days of finals.
 
With the Team events yet to be contested next week, a total of four medals is already the highest for an Australian para-table tennis team since the last time the Paralympic Games were held in Tokyo in 1964.
 
Lin Ma and Sam von Einem will look to add more bling to their swag of previous Paralympic medals as they both clinched a spot in their class semi-finals with exciting wins against Ukrainian Lev Kats and Spanish Eduardo Cuesta Martinez respectively.
 
The two Aussies join teammate Li Na Lei, who had already qualified for the semi-final round in the Women's Class 9. Third-place matches are not contested in Para-table tennis, with both losing semi-finalists awarded a bronze medal.
 
Lin Ma didn't look like a man who would settle for bronze as he kept his winning record spotless and produced another convincing sweep against world no.4 Kats. Ma is yet to drop a game in four matches in Tokyo. 

Sam von Einem had to produce an impressive comeback after losing the first game to Cuesta Martinez, but the Rio 2016 silver medallist maintained composure and turned the match around for a solid 3-1 win.

“I started off a bit nervous in the first set, but then I settled into the match and a good start in the second game was what I needed. That carried on into the third set and really took off into the fourth,” von Einem said. 

Despite his experience in Rio, von Einem admitted that the mental challenge is always present when you’re playing for medals.

“It starts to get into your head and the last few points feel like a huge mountain, but you really just need to think about winning the next point and get it over the line.” 

The South Australian will face Belgian world no.2 Florian van Acker tomorrow for a place in the final. 

“Van Acker is probably the best player around at the moment. He’s the reigning Paralympic and World Champion. He’s dominated the class 11 for the last few years, so he’s the big fish,” von Einem said.

In the other quarter-final, three-times Paralympian Rebecca Julian mounted a credible challenge to world no.3 Maliak Alieva (RPC) in the first game, but was eventually defeated 3-0 in her maiden quarter-final appearance at a Paralympic Games.

Australia is guaranteed another medal in the Women's class 10, although in a heartbreaking fashion for the fans of the green and gold. Qian Yang and Milly Tapper were drawn against each other to make up an all-Australian quarter-final at 10.40 AEST tomorrow, after both had to sit tight and wait for favourable outcomes in other pool games to progress to the knock-out rounds.

Earlier in the day Jake Ballestrino, Trevor Hirth and Joel Coughlan lost their last preliminary-phase matches and did not qualify for the next stages. It was unlucky for Coughlan, with the Queenslander pushing top-class Chinese Lian to his limits and coming just a few points short of a major upset in an epic 5-game match

"I am pretty gutted, but to come so close to the world number three is nothing to be ashamed of," Coughlan said. "I'm glad I pushed him right to the very end. I know that I can compete with the best in the world and that gives me confidence to keep going. I know I can beat these guys, I've just got to get it over the line."

The Tokyo Games are not over for Ballestrino, Hirth and Coughlan, who will all take to the court again in the Team events from 31 August. Coughlan said having the opportunity to play more international-level games is crucial for the development of the Australian players.

"It definitely makes a big difference, as you can't properly replicate in training the intensity and pressure of match play. It was a bit disappointing that we couldn't play internationally before the Games but I've got the Teams matches coming up next week and hopefully I can keep playing better and better," he said.

Para-table tennis Singles matches continue tomorrow as the first of three medal days will assign Paralympic titles in five classes across men and women.

 Australian team results - 27 Aug 2021
 
Preliminary phase:

• Men's class 6 - Trevor Hirth v P. Karabardak (GBR): 0-3 (5-11, 8-11, 2-11)
• Men's class 7 - Jake Ballestrino v I. Pereira Stroh (BRA): 0-3 (5-11, 3-11, 6-11)
• Men's class 10 - Joel Coughlan v H. Lian (CHN): 2-3 (11-4, 5-11, 13-11, 4-11, 11-7)
• Women's class 10 - Qian Yang v F. Obazuaye (NGR): 3-0 (11-9, 11-1, 11-3)

Quarter-finals:

• Women's class 6 - Rebecca Julian v M. Alieva (RPC): 0-3 (13-15, 4-11, 5-11)
• Men's class 9 - Lin Ma v L. Kats (UKR): 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-7)
• Men's class 11 - Sam von Einem v E. Cuesta Martinez (ESP): 3-1 (8-11, 11-8, 11,7, 11-7)

 
What's on tomorrow - all times AEST
 
Quarter-finals:

• Women's class 10 - Melissa Tapper v Qian Yang - 10.40am

Semi-finals

• Women's class 9 - Li Na Lei v A. Szvitacs (HUN) - 1.20pm
• Men's class 9 - Lin Ma v I. Mai (UKR) - 1.20pm
• Men's class 11 - Sam von Einem v F. van Acker (BEL) - 2pm
• Women's class 10 - Winner Tapper/Yang - 2.40pm