Table tennis: Yu Mengyu sweeps world number 8 at Olympics, books place in round of 16

TOKYO: Singapore’s Yu Mengyu swept world number 8 Cheng I-Ching 4-0 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Tuesday (Jul 27), booking her place in the women's singles round of 16 at the Tokyo Olympics.

Yu, who is ranked 47th in the world, looked in imperious form, as she beat her Chinese Taipei opponent 11-5, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6.

The Singaporean has an outstanding track record against Cheng, and went into the game 10-3 in head-to-head matches.

31-year-old Yu came out strong, racing to a 6-0 lead. And while her opponent eventually got a few points on the board, the Singapore took the first game 11-6.

READ: Table tennis: Yu Mengyu progresses to next round in Olympics after cruising to victory

Yu, whose best finish at an Olympic Games was the quarter-finals in 2016, seized the initiative in the second game but her opponent kept within striking distance. But Yu kept her cool, winning the second game 11-9.

Cheng made her move in the third, winning three consecutive points after a timeout to put the score at 9-6. But the Singaporean battled back and took the game 12-10.

And while her opponent showed some signs of a comeback in the final game, Yu claimed the last game 11-6.

Yu will next face Liu Juan of the United States, after the American upset Romanian Bernadette Szocs.

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