Table tennis: Ukraine condemn Singapore men to last place
The Singapore men's table tennis team finished last in Group C at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Shah Alam on Wednesday (March 2) after a 3-1 loss to Ukraine in their final group tie.
The Eastern Europeans took the lead at the Malawati Stadium when Pang Xue Jie lost 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 to Kou Lei in the first singles.
Clarence Chew levelled terms for Singapore when he beat Yaroslav Zhmudenko 11-13, 11-13, 11-7, 11-6, 11-8 in the second match.
Ethan Poh put in a credible shift in the following match, but lost 10-12, 11-9, 13-11, 11-9 to Yevhen Pryshchepa.
Chew, 20, tried to pull Singapore back into the tie again in the fourth match, but fell 12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 14-12 to Kou Lei to gift Ukraine the overall victory.
The men's placing was in stark contrast to their women counterparts, who finished top of their group.
The men's team will now go into the lower bracket in the Championship division and play for the 13th to 24th places.
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