When we all saw the Mixed Doubles draw we were disappointed that our Canadian pair of Mo and Eugene had to confront the No. 1 seeds Liu Shiwen and Xu Xin of China.
At 12 noon Tokyo time the round of 16 started. It was impressive to see how focused and confident our Canadian pair was at the start of the match. With a fast lead of 7-3 in the first game, they established themselves as contenders to win this match. They did win the first game 11-9, a very close game but our players held their own.
As the match progressed we could see the strength of the Chinese pair, but we could also see some fantastic backhand shots from Eugene catching the Chinese by surprise time after time.
Although the match was lost 4-1, this result does not reflect how close the match was and how every single point was hard fought. But the dominance of the Chinese in the 5th and last game of this encounter became very evident.
All the Games were close and won by just the slightest margin by the Chinese. It was particularly difficult for the Canadians when Xu Xin was playing to Mo Zhang. She had trouble returning some of his attacks.
It was very impressive to see Eugene’s placement and reaction to very fast balls. He managed to control many points supported by Mo. At the end it was clear that the Chinese were the best pair in this match, but we must give a lot of credit to Mo and Eugene for an excellent fight in a very difficult match.
It is sure that if our Canadian pair was in another part of the draw, they would have a chance to advance much further.
“An excellent performance from our Canadian pair of Mo and Eugene in a very difficult match. I am very proud of them” said Adham Sharara, TTCAN President.
Canada must be proud of their performance.
Final score: 9-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6
