Table tennis player Anja Händén impressed when she reached the quarterfinals in the Paralympic Games in Paris. The Swede, who plays in class 10, defeated Chinese Hou Chunxiao in three straight sets – 11–5, 11–6, 11–9.
The duo had met before, often in even matches, and as recently as in the Paralympic qualifying round in May, Händén suffered a defeat. But now there was no doubt about the outcome.
It's completely crazy, it was so nice to get revenge. I lost to her in the qualifying round – 11–9 in the deciding set – so it was so nice to just crush her 3–0 now, says the Swede to SVT.
The only time Händén wavered was in the third set, when she lost her first three match points. Then she decided on the fourth and final one – with a sideline shot.
In the quarterfinals, which will be played on Monday evening, 20-year-old Händén will face Bruna Alexandre, Brazil.
For Alexander Öhgren, in class 3, it's game over. The Swede lost the round of 16 to Spaniard Eder Rodríguez in three straight sets.
