UTT is exciting and nervous: Ying

With renowned coach Elena Timina, who masterminded two gold medals and one silver medal for the Dutch side in the European Championships, bringing tactical awareness to the fore and backed by domestic coach A Muralidhara Rao’s fast experience, Shaze Challengers is never short of motivation from the sidelines.

And with Rio Olympic silver medallists Han Ying and Petrissa Solja in its ranks, Challengers pose a serious challenge to the other teams in the league. 

For Germany’s Ying, who is the league’s top ranked woman player, the league has been a mixed bag so far. “This is the first time I am playing a fast-paced game. Everything was too fast. I think if I play more, I will get used to it. It is different from how we play in Europe. In other tournaments, if I lose one game, there is no problem as the overall result of the match matters. But here, it is all about winning the number of games. This format makes me a little nervous apart from being excited,” Ying said on the sidelines of the league. 

A defensive player by nature, the World No. 9’s strength adept at getting maximum balls back on the table and deceiving the opponent with various spinning shots. Ying shifted from China to Germany to explore a career in the game and within a decade of making the shift, Ying was on the Olympic podium with Challengers’ teammate Solja. “In China, there are a lot of good players and it is very difficult for everyone to get a chance to play for the national team and in national tournaments. In Germany, there are a lot of opportunities,” Ying added. 

Talking about the Olympic medal, Ying said it was a dream come true. “It was an amazing feeling to win silver. We could have gone and won the gold but we just could make it one step less. It was more like a dream. Winning it with Solja is special. We have known each other and have a good understanding,” she explained.