ACOG - News - IBM

(26 July 1996; Day 7)

FENG Nearly Pulls Upset of China's LIU in Table Tennis Preliminaries

It was the first time she had ever played this opponent, and she did not know what to expect.

What Amy FENG of the United States certainly did not expect today was to come within 6 points of upsetting China's LIU Wei, ranked fourth in the world, in the final women's singles preliminary round.

"I just lacked the confidence that I could beat her," said FENG. "I can't believe how close I came to beating her. But, after playing her now I think I could do better if I have other chances to play her. This time my lack of confidence really showed through in the last game."

The showdown delighted the crowd, which was brought to its feet several times during the match. FENG thrilled the crowd by jumping out to an early lead, surprising LIU with a 21:16 first-game win. LIU came back strong in the second game, quickly beating the American 21:8.

"LIU changed her strategy in the second game," FENG said. "In the first she played to my backhand, and I did very well. Then, she played to my forehand, and I wasn't ready for that. After the second game, we were both very familiar with each other's styles."

Jumping out to an early 3:0 lead in the third game, FENG seemed in control. It didn't take long for LIU to get back into the game, though, as she scored the next 4 points. LIU built up a 8:5 lead, but FENG fought back to tie it at 8:8. The two exchanged points and were tied twice more, the final time at 13:13, before LIU took charge and won eight of the final 10 points to win the game 21:15. LIU won an amazing 71 percent of her service points. FENG won only 56 percent.

Though disappointed with the loss, FENG said she is proud of her play.

"I would be happier if I'd done better," she said. "The last couple of points I played too hard. I wanted to finish the play. I didn't feel too much pressure or wasn't too nervous."

A three-time United States singles champion, FENG was born in Tianjin, China. Since moving to the United States in 1992, FENG has been the top player in the country. She said her Chinese background did not have any effect on playing LIU.

"That doesn't matter," she said. "It's just a game. Maybe next time I can beat her. I might have felt a little weird. Sometimes you experience a bad look, or think you do. I think everyone should be friendly, no matter where you come from. LIU's a really good player anyway."

Having played the game since the age of 9, the 27-year-old said she plans on playing table tennis for some time to come.

"I want to play this sport forever," said FENG. "I like this sport a lot."

The loss ended FENG's hopes for an Olympic medal in these games.

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Kim Chaudoin.


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