(Montreal) Quebec table tennis player Edward Ly was treated to a whole festival of emotions during his first participation in the World Cup which took place in China, in Macau, last week.
After winning his first match 4-0 against Australian Aditya Sareen, he faced the man he calls “the GOAT” of his sport (Greatest of all time), the Chinese Ma Long, against whom he lost 4-0.
“It was a unique experience. I have never played in front of so many spectators cheering for my opponent. I was tense, but I played at a good level and took a lot of risks,” Edward Ly told Sportcom.
Despite a very noisy Chinese crowd in favor of the opposing camp, Ly tried not to let himself be destabilized. In the first round, he managed to hold off Long, even beating him by a point at one point. That lead didn’t hold up and he ultimately lost 11-8.
“From the start of the second round, he managed to make me doubt,” he admitted in an interview.
Edward Ly then went all out and took a 3-0 lead over the tournament favorite. Energized by his supporters, Ma Long managed to tie the score before setting his pace. He finally won 11-4.
The Chinese, currently ranked fourth in the world, dominated Ly in the last two sets which ended 11-5 and 11-4.
Four days later, Ma Long was the author of a spectacular comeback in the grand final. Trailing 3-0, he won four straight sets and defeated his patriot Lin Gaoyuan 4-3 to clinch the third World Cup title of his career.
“I found it really cool to be able to play against the GOAT (Greatest of all time) in such a huge room with so many spectators. I thank everyone from Canada who listened and supported me during the match,” concluded the Quebecer.
Having been on the rise for several months, Edward Ly is now turning to his next major challenge, the Paris Olympic Games.