(by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Manager)
Sharon Alguetti steadfast, steers United States to gold

Success by three matches to one against the Canadian partnership of Jeremy Hazin and Terence Yeung started the day; wins for Sharon Alguetti in opposition to Terence Yeung (11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9) and when facing Jeremy Hazin (6-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9) proved the backbone of the success.

Progress to the semi-final round, an impressive three-nil win was posted against colleagues Michael Minh Tran and Victor Liu before in the final, a full distance three-two success was the order of affairs in opposition to China’s Sun Zheng and Yang Qulong.

Once again just as in the opening fixture of the day against the Canadians, the player to impress was Sharon Alguetti. He accounted for both Yang Qulong (11-4, 10-12, 12-14, 11-6, 11-5) and Sun Zheng (7-11, 13-11, 12-10, 11-6); wins that set the stage for Gal Alguetti to be the hero of the hour. In the vital fifth and concluding match of the fixture, he beat Yang Qulong (11-5, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4).

Meanwhile, in the opposite half of the draw, at the quarter-final stage Sun Zheng and Yang Qulong had overcome the combination of India’s Raegan Albuquerque and Jordan’s Khaled Khader by three matches to nil, prior to securing a three-two win when confronting Chile’s Andres Martinez and Jorge Paredes.

Thorn in the side of China was Andres Martinez; he beat both Li Yunhao (11-3, 12-10, 8-11, 14-12) and Sun Cheng (6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 12-10).

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