It was an all-Chinese mixed doubles final in Tokyo between Zheng Si Wei/ Huang Ya Qiong and Wang Yi Lyu/ Huang Dong Ping. The number one and two seeds battled it out for Olympic glory.
These two pairs have dominated the mixed doubles category for several years. A perfect indicator of this is the fact that they have played each other fifteen times, twelve of which were in finals. Today’s final was the biggest of them all.
Coming into the match, Zheng/ Huang led the head to head 13-2 and their run to the Olympic final was faultless, not having dropped a game. Wang/ Huang showed great composure in their semifinal against Japan’s hopefuls, Yuta Watanabe/ Arisa Higashino.
Team GB’s Marcus Ellis paints the picture of just how impressive these two pairs are.
-Both of the Chinese pairs are fantastic. The last time we saw them play in an international competition, generally, I would say they were that level above the rest of the competition, but we certainly found that being away from competing at that level, it’s very different coming back and difficult to get your mind back in the game. Although some players return and fit straight back in.
Fit back in they certainly did in Tokyo and they only had each other as the last hurdle between them and the gold.
To the wire
With knowing each other so well, plus the big occasion, it was only natural that there were nerves all the way through. They both exchanged games at 21-17 to set up a decider. In that final game, there was nothing between them as they edged closer to the end.
Wang/ Huang got their noses ahead at 20-17. Squandering two gold medal points, you could cut the tension with a knife. On the third time of asking, they secured a historic win. All of those 13 losses did not matter anymore, they had won the Olympic gold, China’s fourth in the category. Wang Yi Lyu, reflecting on the enormity of the achievement said.
-My mind went blank, it hasn’t sunk in yet… You have to have strong conviction. If you want to win the gold, first you have to win over yourself.
-We had an advantage because we’ve lost more times against them than we’ve won. So, we’re thinking of attacking them so we’re probably in a better mental position… When I went to bed and had a thought I told myself don’t think, don’t think, go to bed quickly. The more you think, the more excited you get, explained Huang Dong Ping.
50-50
Both Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong expressed their regret of missing out on this opportunity.
- Pre-match it’s 50-50, it depends on who plays better on the day. I think both pairs played to our levels, we didn’t hold back. For us, there’s regret. We had chances in the third game, we led 11-10, even if that’s just a small margin. At the crucial points, they were more decisive than us.
A first for Japan
It was the first time Japan has won a medal in mixed doubles when Yuta Watanabe/ Arisa Higashino defeated the Hong Kongers Tang Chun Man/ Tse Ying Suet in the bronze medal match.
- It’s been 10 years since we (Higashino) paired up. There have been tough times but she helped me a lot and I am very glad that we came this far and I’m really grateful, stated Yuta Watanabe.