Olympic Media Notes: Monday 26th July Day Two Highlights: Sunday 25th July Mixed Doubles: Quarter & Semi-Finals Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen (CHN), the top seeds, beat Emmanuel Lebesson and Yuan Jianan (FRA), the no.8 seeds (11-5, 11-6, 13-11, 11-7), to reach the mixed doubles final. They face Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito (JPN), the no.2 seeds, the penultimate round winners against Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju and Cheng I-Ching (TPE), the no.3 seeds (11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6). The semi-finals followed dramatic quarter-finals earlier in the day. Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito (JPN) beat Patrick Franziska and Petrissa Solja (GER), the no.7 seeds (11-8, 5-11, 3-11, 11-3, 9-11, 11-8, 16-14). Emmanuel Lebesson and Yuan Jianan (FRA) caused an upset. They accounted for Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem (HKG), the no.4 seeds (11-3, 6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 13-11). The performances of the European pairs were unexpected. At the recent Liebherr 2020 European Individual Championships staged in late June earlier this year in Warsaw, Patrick Franziska and Petrissa Solja experienced a quarter-final defeat at the hands of the French combination of Simon Gauzy and Prithika Pavade (11-9, 12-10, 12-10). One round later Emmanuel Lebesson and Yuan Jianan lost to Germany’s Qiu Dang and Nina Mittelham (14-12, 11-7, 4-11, 5-11, 13-11). Men’s Singles: Round Two Lam Siu Hang (HKG) caused an upset of note; he beat Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (IND), no.26 seed (11-7, 7-11, 4-11, 5-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6). Paul Drinkhall (GBR) no.36 seed beat Robert Gardos (AUT), no.17 seed and highest-ranked player in round two (13-11, 6-11, 11-4, 12-10, 11-6). It was the first time that Paul Drinkhall had beaten Robert Gardos on the international stage, as he had lost the previous four encounters. Kirill Gerassimenko (KAZ), the no.30 seed, won the first-ever match for Kazakhstan in the table tennis events at an Olympic Games. The no.30 seed beat the Czech Republic’s Lubomir Jancarik, the no.41 seed (3-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 2-11, 11-9, 11-4). On debut in Rio 2016, he had been beaten in his opening match by Hungary’s Adam Pattantyus (11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9). Darko Jorgic (SLO), the no.18 seed, overcame Alvaro Robles (ESP), the no.42 seed (11-2, 12- 10, 5-11, 9-11, 5-11, 15-13, 11-8) to win the closest match of the round. Chuang Chih-Yuan (TPE), the no.19 seed, now 40 years old, fourth place in London 2012, was severely tested by Argentina’s 23-year-old Horacio Cifuentes, the no.44 seed. Chuang Chih- Yuan needed the full seven games to claim victory (5-11, 11-3, 13-11, 9-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-7). Women’s Singles: Round Two Shin Yubin (KOR), 17 years old, won the battle of the generations and upset the odds. The no.44 seed beat 58-year-old Ni Xialian (LUX), the no.24 seed (2-11, 19-17, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5). Page 1 Rachel Moret (SUI), the no.48 seed, continued her excellent form; she accounted for Georgina Pota (HUN), the no.30 seed (11-9, 14-12, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9). Manika Batra (IND), the reigning Commonwealth Games champion and no.34 seed, overcame Margaryta Pesotska (UKR), the no.20 seed (4-11, 4-11, 11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7). Orawan Paranang (THA), the no.49 seed, accounted for Hana Matelova (CZE), the no.29 seed (9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8). Yuan Jianan (FRA), the no.46 seed, ended the hopes of Bruna Takahashi (BRA) 11-8, 11-7, 11- 6, 11-8) The leading name on second-day duty, Dina Meshref (EGY), the no.19 seed, defeated Poland’s Natalia Partyka, the no.47 seed (15-13, 10-12, 11-9, 11-4, 7-11, 13-11) and thus set records. She becomes the first player from Africa and the first from an Arabic speaking country to reach the third round of the women’s singles event at an Olympic Games. Looking Ahead Mixed Doubles: Final Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen (CHN), the top seeds, start as favourites against Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito (JPN), the no.2 seeds. In 2019 on the ITTF World Tour finals, they beat Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito in Stockholm and at the Grand Finals in Zhengzhou. Likewise, in the final at the 2020 ITTF World Tour German Open, they prevailed. In 2019 Lin Yun-Ju and Cheng I-Ching (TPE), the no.3 seeds, won on the ITTF World Tour in China and Hong Kong. Emmanuel Lebesson and Yuan Jianan (FRA) won in Lisbon in 2020 at the ITTF Challenge Series tournament. Men’s Singles: Round Two Sharath Kamal Achanta (IND), the no.20 seed, faces Tiago Apolonia (POR), the no.38 seed. Status favours Sharath Kamal Achanta, but Tiago Apolonia has won their most recent international meetings; he won at the 2014 Men’s World Cup and 2016 ITTF World Tour German Open. It could be an explosive encounter; both have potent forehands. Tomislav Pucar (CRO), the no.3 seed, opposes Bojan Tokic (SLO), the no.40 seed. Tomislav Pucar starts the favourite, but Bojan Tokic prevailed in their most recent international engagement, the Liebherr 2019 European Team Championships. Likewise, Jonathan Groth (DEN), the no.22 seed, confronts Bence Majoros (HUN), the no.39 seed. Bence Majoros won their most recent duel; he succeeded in the 2016-2017 European Team Qualification tournament. Omar Assar (EGY), the no.28 seed, meets Kou Lei (UKR), the no.45 seed. Significantly, in the men’s singles event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the verdict favoured Kou Lei. Men’s Singles: Round Three Marcos Freitas (POR), the no.16 seed, opposes Daniel Habesohn (AUT), the no.32 seed; Marcos Freitas has won five of their seven encounters, including the most recent, the Liebherr 2019 European Team Championships and CCB 2020 Europe Top 16. Jang Woojin (KOR), the no.9 seed, faces Paul Drinkhall (GBR), the no.36 seed. At the ITTF World Tour 2018 Austrian Open, Jang Woojin won in seven games on their one prior encounter. Wong Chun Ting (HKG), the no.13 seed, faces Chuang Chih-Yuan, the no.19 seed; overall, Page 2 Chuang Chih-Yuan has won eight of their 14 meetings, but Chuang Chih-Yuan has won the most recent. In 2017, he succeeded at both the ITTF World Tour in Qatar and the Asian Cup. Both excel in long rallies. Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN), the no.3 seed, opposes Lam Siu Hang, the no.50 seed; in their most recent encounter, the 2018 Team World Cup, the verdict went to Tomokazu Harimoto. Women’s Singles: Round Two First-time encounters are very much the order of play, the notable exception being Polina Mikailova (RUS), the no.27 seed, versus Liu Jia (AUT), the no.55 seed. Liu Jia has won four of their six encounters on the international stage, including the most recent, the 2017 Europe Top 16 Cup. Barbora Balazova (SVK), the no.31 seed, faces Liu Juan (USA), the no.68 seed, a player with little international experience. Still, Liu Juan won the women’s singles title at the 2018 United States Open. Women’s Singles: Round Three Similarly, it is a first-time encounter. Sofia Polcanova (AUT), the no.10 seed faces Manika Batra (IND), the no.34 seed; they have never met at senior level, but at the 2011 Spanish Junior and Cadet Open, Sofia Polcanova emerged victorious in their junior girls’ singles event. Top Names Round three commences, in the men’s singles Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN), Timo Boll (GER), Jang Woojin (KOR), Liam Pitchford (GBR), Wong Chun Ting (HKG), and Marcos Freitas (POR) enter proceedings: • Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN), no.3 seed v Lam Sui Hang (HKG), no.50 seed • Timo Boll (GER), no.8 seed v Kirill Gerassimenko (KAZ), no.30 seed • Jang Woojin (KOR), no.9 seed v Paul Drinkhall (GBR), no.36 seed • Liam Pitchford (GBR), no.11 seed v Darko Jorgic (SLO), no.18 seed • Wong Chun Ting (HKG), no.13 seed v Chuang Chih-Yuan (TPE), no.19 seed • Marcos Freitas (POR), no.16 seed v Daniel Habesohn (AUT), no.32 seed In the women’s singles, Chen Meng (CHN), Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN), Feng Tianwei (SGP), Sofia Polcanova (AUT), Petrissa Solja (GER) and Elizabeta Samara (ROU) commence their potential programme. • Chen Meng (CHN), no.1 seed v Rachel Moret (SUI), no.48 seed • Kasumi Ishikawa (JPN), no.5 seed v Orawan Paranang (THA), no.49 seed • Feng Tianwei (SGP), no.6 seed v Maria Xiao (ESP) no.43 seed • Sofia Polcanova (AUT), no.10 seed v Manika Batra (IND), no.34 seed • Petrissa Solja (GER), no.11 seed v Zhang Mo (CAN), no.21 seed • Elizabeta Samara (ROU), no.15 seed v Suthasini Sawettabut (THA), no.22 seed Event Fast Facts Round three commences. A total of 32 players, the 16 players who emerged triumphant in round two, join the top 16 seeds. Page 3 Player Fast Facts Kou Lei (UKR) was a member of China’s second junior team; in 2001, he came to England.