The Paris Olympics Southeast Asian Regional Qualification Tournament got under way in Bangkok on Wednesday, 8 May, and there were mixed fortunes for Singapore’s national paddlers.

In the Men’s singles, Izaac Quek, 17, sealed his place in the semifinals with two wins from two in the group stage. In his first match, he had to battle hard against Vietnam’s Dinh Anh Hoang, before eventually prevailing 4-2. The highlight of that match was definitely the second set, when the Singapore youngster clawed his way back from 1-7 deficit to win the set 11-9. The second match was a more straightforward affair, as Izaac comfortably eased his way past Filipino Jann Mari Nayre, 4-1.

Unfortunately, birthday boy Koen Pang’s day was marred by disappointment, as he was eliminated from the competition after defeats against Sanguansin Phakpoom of Thailand, in a tense 3-4 match, and Javen Choong of Malaysia, where he battled back from a 0-2 setback but ultimately fell short, losing 2-4.

In the Women’s Singles, Singapore’s number one female paddler, Zeng Jian, 27, took a commanding lead in her group with victories against Ho Ying of Malaysia (4-0) and Kheith Cruz of Philippines (4-1). She will play Vietnam’s Mai Trang in her final group match on Thursday.

However, fellow birthday girl, Zhou Jingyi, 18, will need to dig deep in her final group match against Philippines’ Joyce Laude and hope the result between Alice Chang of Malaysia and Nguyen Khanh of Vietnam goes her way to clinch her place in the semifinals.

The Singapore teenager fell short in both matches against Khanh and Chang, by similar 3-4 scorelines.

The competition continues on Thursday, 9 May with the Women’s Group Round 3 matches and Quarterfinals for both Men’s and Women’s.