Teenager Twomey through to women’s class 7 semi-finals

Teenager Bly Twomey is assured of a second medal on her Paralympic debut after a 3-0 win in her women’s class 7 quarterfinal in session 1 of the table tennis events on day 7 at South Paris Arena 4 in Paris but there was heartbreak for Fliss Pickard (women’s class 6), Megan Shackleton (women’s class 4) and Joshua Stacey (men’s class 9) who all missed out on a singles medal after losing close quarterfinals.

Twomey led her head-to-head against 22-year-old Smilla Sand 4-1 going into today’s quarterfinal but the World number six from Sweden had beaten her in the final of the Finland Open last year. In her first Paralympic singles quarterfinal the 14-year-old showed no sign of nerves as she took the first two sets 11-2 11-3, cheered on by a large contingent of supporters from Brighton TTC singing ‘We love you Bly, we do’.

At 4-1 down in the third set Sand took a time out and it appeared to give her new impetus as she went on to lead 9-8 but Twomey reasserted herself and took the set 11-9 and the match 3-0.

“When I first got on the table, I didn’t think it would be 3-0 to me,” she said, “and I’m just really proud of how I performed. The way she performed was amazing, but I think I just edged it. I just played my game and that’s the most I can do. In the third set she took a time out and I was just playing a bit passive and a bit safe. I just needed to open up a bit more and that’s what I did and I’m just really proud to be in the semi-finals.  At the age of 14 I didn’t think I would be guaranteed two medals and to just show who I am at a Paralympics is amazing.”

Pickard and World bronze medallist Camelia Ciripan met twice in Poland earlier this year with Ciripan winning their group match in four sets but Pickard winning the final 12-10 in the fifth.

The 30-year-old from Burnley started well today, taking the first set 11-5 and the second 11-8 to lead 2-0. She led 8-6 in the third, but Ciripan fought back to lead 10-8 and although Pickard levelled at 10-10 the Romanian World number six clinched the set 12-10 when Pickard went long with her forehand after another great rally.

With both players moving the ball around the table and finding some acute angles Ciripan took the fourth set 11-8 to set up a nail-biting deciding fifth set. Although Pickard never gave up and saved two match points it was Ciripan who proved just the stronger and she took the set 11-8 and the match 3-2.

“She played unbelievably,” said Pickard, who although devastated to come so close to a second medal was gracious in defeat. “I knew it was going to be a tough fight from the word go. We’ve had so many battles, and I was so pleased to see her get that wild card because she’s had an amazing year. If anyone deserves a medal it’s her. I’ll come back stronger and full credit to her.

“I can be incredibly proud. If you’d said to me four weeks ago that I could come here and fight like I did and be able to come away with a bronze medal (in the doubles) I’d have bitten your hand off so I can be incredibly proud of myself, and I’ve had a great experience. I’ll go back and have a few weeks off with the family then get back into training, get back in the thick of it and come back even stronger.”

Shackleton came within a point of a first win against World number one Borislava Peric-Rankovic in Slovenia in May and she put up another tremendous performance today against the former World and Paralympic champion.

After Peric-Rankovic had edged a tight first set 12-10 Shackleton took the second 11-9. The Serbian has been there, done that and got every T-shirt and she appeared to have found another gear when she raced through the third set 11-1. To her credit Shackleton came back fighting in the fourth to lead 10-7 and then held her nerve after Peric-Rankovic had levelled at 10-10 to win the set 12-10 and force a deciding fifth set.

From 5-2 down Shackleton battled back to level at 8-8 but the greater experience of Peric-Rankovic – a seven-time European champion – proved decisive as she took the set 11-8 and the match 3-2.

“I’m really proud of myself,” said Shackleton, “coming into this after two years of recovering from injury and struggling to find my form, then having a fantastic season winning lots of tournaments and finally getting myself to Paris, getting to the quarterfinals and taking on one of the best in the world. I played really well and I have no regrets. Obviously, it’s extremely gutting not to get the medal and at the end of the day that’s what we all play for. I believe I’ve got plenty left in me and hopefully things are only going to get better.

“Even in the third set the scoreline wasn’t fantastic, but I was sticking to what was working. I just needed to adjust a few things, but I believe in committing to what the right thing is now, and I’ll stick with that, and I think that showed in the fourth set and even in the fifth. I just think she managed some of those closer moments really well and I guess that just shows her experience. But each time I play these quarterfinals in the singles I feel I’m learning more and more about how to hold my nerve and how to get through those moments and hopefully it’s coming soon.

“I really believe in myself and even here I kind of believed I was a contender for a medal, and I think I did show that despite the outcome. The girls are all fantastic and I think there’ll be some really tough matches in LA as well but I’m going to keep working hard and keep pushing my game on and hopefully it will be a gold in LA.”

Joshua Stacey and Ma Lin, the Chinese-born former World and Paralympic champion who now represents Australia, met at the same stage in Tokyo with Ma winning comfortably but since then Stacey had beaten him in the final of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and again in Italy earlier this year.

The 24-year-old Welshman has struggled with injury since taking silver at the World Championships in 2022 and could not find his best level today although the 3-0 scoreline did not reflect that it was still a close match (11-9 11-7 11-9).

“Against someone of his level opportunities are only maybe half-chances,” said a bitterly disappointed Stacey, “but you’re only ever presented with half-chances - you’ve never got easy balls to put away. I just don’t think I was clinical enough and he took advantage. He gave me some loose balls that were half chances whereas I was missing and maybe that was the difference - the fact that I wasn’t making him play in the same way that he was making me. He was just that bit more solid.

“I made so many errors, but still managed it keep it close and I don’t think he ever had a time when he thought he was in genuine trouble in the match. Always having that sense of security while playing a game will bring the best out of any player and I think I allowed him to do that today.

“Right now my mind is not really anywhere but on what’s just happened but I know that come the end of this month I’ll be back in the hall and trying to improve as much as I can on a daily basis, and hoping that when I’m presented with an opportunity like I was this time that I’m capable of taking it.”