Coach Galih Mowo Perbowo stood by the court, tirelessly shouting motivational words at his protégé Ana Widyasari, who struggled with nervousness in her first Asian Para Games table tennis match on Saturday.
oach Galih Mowo Perbowo stood by the court, tirelessly shouting motivational words at his protégé Ana Widyasari, who struggled with nervousness in her first Asian Para Games table tennis match on Saturday.
Ana faced Hiu Tung Li of Hong Kong in the Group A women’s TT11 (intellectual impairment), losing 8-10 in the first set before making a comeback and winning 12-10.
Li, who ranked world number 7, stole the second set 11-9 to equalize the game. Ana retaliated by overpowering Li in the third set 11-6.
Leading 10-6 in the fourth game, Ana, who clinched gold at the 2017 ASEAN Para Games, failed to seal the victory as Li grabbed the next five points before closing the game 13-11.
Looking at the critical situation, Galih tried to calm Ana down during the interval as he saw that Ana was tense. Ana then closed the fifth set with a 11-5 win.
"I kept shouting because she would not be able to play her best if she was not calm. She made one mistake and it destroyed her focus," Galih said after the match.
Meanwhile, Ana said her opponent had good combination of shots using her forehand and backhand. (dic)
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