Written by: Jun Lu
Edited by: Jared Rajiv
Photos by: EusoffWorks
When I saw our table tennis girls, they already look ready to win. Today they are going against Sheares, who probably have almost near no chance to win it. Our girls were confident, but not arrogantly so. They still practiced hard for their warm up.
Cayla played first, and within like just 20 minutes (thats crazy), she was already done with her 3 sets, and have completed it with a clean finish. I don’t think she even moved much, reminding me of the kungfu master turtle in kungfu panda who has mastery over whatever he does and can hence do it calmly. Her set scores were 11-5, 11-1 and 11-3, bagging the first w out of many for our girls today. And although table tennis is such a intense sport of focus and technique, Cayla doesn't seem to break a sweat from the game.
Next up we have our first doubles up, who already look like they gonna have the match with the sheer difference in LEVEL of play during warm ups. It was not as much of a breeze as Cayla’s set, but Sze Han and Sonia performed amazingly. Truly our OP and forever-in-line-up-as-a-pair doubles. Second set started with an out ball by SH, even though the ball wasn't even that fast. Sze han missed a smash, but soon got it back with a good point and persistent plays. They are literally on fire today. Sze han and Sonia is dominating this so much that the warm up behind by Tina and Carlin looks more interesting to watch. Sonia smashes spectacularly and the set is ours. For the last set, the two girls minimised their mistakes and could pick up almost every single ball, whether it was a smash or edge shot by SH, and ended the set 11-6, taking another game home.
Ex-captain Sze Han bringing experience and composure to the team
Next, Carlin was up. If she wins this, semis will be ours. She seem to be playing against her friend as both of them were all smiles when they started playing, which was so wholesome to see. Deducing from how good Carlin was, the other girl must also be very good in table tennis- and I was proven right when they started warming up. The speed is so very much different, and their reflexes were insane. Carlin was playing the first seed in SH. They started playing, and it was really next level, with a fast and furious flurry of balls flying by on the table. But in every game there is a prey and a predator- Carlin saw her chance, smashes and the point is over. But instead of just smashing, Carlin also played a lot of careful shots, to pressure SH, which worked as she continuously hit out. It was evident they were similar in standards, as SH was able to return Carlins balls with equal speed, even though she did make a few mistakes. After some long rallies, Carlin has bagged two sets. But it was probably very taxing on her brain and arm, because she misperformed for her next set. Actually not exactly, because she tried her best, and TH probably got some what lucky with their shots. And the fatigue of playing the first two sets was setting in slowly. After a long battle, Carlin unfortunately lost the last two sets and game was to SH. But being there physically lets you feel her hard work throughout, and I am super super proud of her.
Carlin bringing the intensity for our decider match to win the semis
Next, our c block doubles pair was up- Yingsin and Joy. They were a little nervous and jittery, but with their impeccable chemistry (they are also partners for DP!), they were ready to bring it home. They played well - Joy had an amazing spin to her serve- but they also made many mistakes and hence lost the first and second set. This must have been a nerve-wrecking moment for Eusoff as it was likely they could lose semis. After they talked to each other and reflected, as well as heard some wise words from Denzel (he told yingsin who rarely smash to ‘just smash’), they were inspired to reset and try harder for the last three sets. SH was so close to winning the game- the score was at 4-8- we needed more points to catch up with them than for them to win. It seemed impossible, but the timeout calmed our girls down, and they seem to be super clear minded and calm. And point by point, from 4-8, to 5-8, to 6-8, all the way to 9-8, we crept back right behind SH, and with an aggressive smash by Joy, the set was ours. They then won two more sets, and epicly returned and took the w for this game- and took the W for Eusoff.
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