The Girl’s U18 paddlers with head coach Chung Kui Chai (left, back row) and other team officials.
KUCHING: Sarawak are on track to defend their overall championship crown at the 36th Milo Malaysia Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championship at Menara DBKL on Wednesday.
They captured three gold, two silver and three bronze medals to stay ahead of closest rival Selangor who have bagged two gold medals.
Sarawak’s gold medals came from the Girls U18 and Girls U15 team events and Girls U18 doubles.
On Tuesday, Sarawak swept the Girls U18 and Girls U15 team titles.
The Girls U18 team final saw Sarawak blanking Selangor 3-0, with national paddler Alice Chang thumping Selangor’s Chiew Kai Xin 3-0 (11-7, 11-2, 11-8), Catherine Chan coming back from two sets down to beat Tey Ka Ying 3-2 (7-11, 6-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-7) while Crystal Tiong overcame the challenge from Tan Siow Min 3-1 (9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-2).
En route to the final, Sarawak beat Johor 3-0 in the last eight and Penang 3-0 in the semi-finals.
Karen Lyne Dick showed the way for Sarawak in the Girls U15 final, edging Zoe Chong 3-2 (7-11, 4-11, 11-7, 11-2, 11-9) in the first singles.
The second singles saw Sammi Tay losing 3-2 (11-6, 10-12, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8) to Loh Qiao Ni while Tay Lynn Jia was up to the task to hand Sarawak the third point by beating Carmen Lee 3-1 (6-11, 12-10, 12-10, 12-10).
Karen then beat Lo Qiao Ni in the fourth singles 3-2 (9-11, 6-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-5).
The team events also saw Sarawak’s Gabriel Ling, Derrick Tsai and Clement Chiew making the final cut in the Boys U18 after beating Sabah 3-1 in the quarterfinals and edging Kedah in the last four only to lose 0-3 to Selangor.
The campaign of Sarawak’s Boys U15 team, however, ended in the semi-finals when Christopher Goh Kho, Too Ying Chuen and Lee Yee Jat lost 0-3 to Selangor after beating Perak 3-0 in the quarterfinals.
Kuala Lumpur were champions in this category after edging Selangor 3-2 in the final.
On Wednesday, Sarawak picked up their third gold medal through Crystal Tiong and Sia Hsiao Ching who upset Alice Chang and Andrea Tan in the Girls U18 doubles final.
Two other bronze medals for Sarawak were contributed by Derrick Tsai-Gabriel Ling in the Boys U18 doubles and Sammi Tay-Elicia Tsai in the Girls U15 doubles.