Chee Chao Ming, winner at the first attempt (Photo: Ariel Popiolek/ITTF)
Chee Chao Ming was the surprise winner of the men’s singles class 6-10 table tennis competition at the Copa Tango in Buenos Aires.
The 22-year-old Malaysian stunned second seeded Manuel Echaveguren of Chile 13-11, 10-12, 5-11, 11-8, 11-8 to secure the title against all odds.
Chao Ming who won the Class 0 title at the Bangkok Para Open earlier this year, was in imperious form as he also accounted for third seeded Steven Chinchilla 11-4, 12-10, 4-11, 11-8 in the semi-finals.
He qualified for the knockout stages after finishing in first place in his group ahead of Chile’s Vicente Alvarez and Uruguay’s Diego Boye.
“Manuel proved a great opponent but I was well prepared for the match and was able to win according to the game-plan I designed. In games two and three I lost focus a little bit but luckily I was able to quickly come out of those moments and recover in time. I really wanted to be the champion here,” said Chao Ming
Understandably, Chao Ming was delighted to be in Argentina and win the title.
“I entered the competition as part of my road to Tokyo 2020. To qualify for the next Paralympic Games is my main goal. For this event, I hope to keep improving and playing better. I always go for the gold medal, I’m a positive player that always aims to his best,” he added.
To qualify for the Paralympics, Chao Ming must be in the top 20 of the world rankings.
Chao Ming had an impressive 2018 as he won a gold with his 53-year-old partner Ting Ing Hock in the men’s doubles TT8-9 category at the Para Asian Games in Jakarta in October.
He also went on to bag bronze medals in the TT9 individual category.
In the same month, he finished in the last eight of the Para Table Tennis World Championships in Slovenia.
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