KUALA LUMPUR: Tee Ai Xin’s bid for a second gold medal at the Southeast Asia table tennis championships ended in heartbreak after Thailand’s Jinnipa Sawettabut fought back to win the women’s singles final 4-3 today.
Ai Xin could not hold off the Thai challenge in the closing stages, with Sawettabut winning the final set after the game was tied 3-3 at the Malaysian Sepak Takraw Academy.
The 25-year-old lost 13-15, 11-8, 11-7, 5-11, 9-11, 11-7, 7-11 to settle for silver.
Ai Xin said Sawettabut’s change of rhythm towards the end of the game disrupted her game plan, while fatigue also began to take its toll on the last day of competition.
“I was in a comfortable position in the first four sets and was leading, but in the last three, my opponent changed her rhythm and I couldn’t get back into my game.
“Today was the last day of the tournament and I got tired towards the end, but it’s not an excuse for missing out on the gold,” she said.
Ai Xin said she had approached the final without putting too much pressure on herself.
“I didn’t think too much about today’s competition. I just focused on doing my best and seeing how far I could go,” she said.
Despite missing out on the singles title, Ai Xin had already secured gold in the women’s doubles with Karen Lyne Dick on Friday.
Malaysia ended the championships with two gold medals through the mixed doubles and women’s doubles, alongside silver medals in the men’s and women’s team competitions and Ai Xin’s singles runner-up finish.
Ai Xin will next compete in Portugal next week before heading to Chengdu for an invitational tournament. She will then return home for the National Championships in Ipoh from Dec 3-6.