Marin Seeks Chen Yufei, but Gets He Bingjiao

Jayce September 6, 2024 6 0

After Carolina Marin defeated Aya Ohori in the quarterfinals with her usual fighting style, she expressed her anticipation for a semifinal against the defending champion, Chen Yufei. At the time, the other quarterfinal match between Chen Yufei and He Bingjiao was still ongoing. However, Marin’s determination showed that she wanted to reclaim her 2016 Olympic gold before Chen Yufei, who won it in 2021.

“Reaching the semifinals is obviously significant,” Marin said. “If I face Chen Yufei… I remember playing against Li Xuerui in the semifinals at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She was the 2012 London Olympic champion, and she had to defend her gold medal. If I face Chen Yufei tomorrow, the situation will be the same—I want her to know I’m here to win the medal, and maybe she’s thinking about defending her Tokyo Olympic gold. This battle, this psychological fight, is really important.”

What if she faces He Bingjiao?

“I don’t care. Let’s see who wins, and I’ll be ready for it.”

Marin had a closely matched contest with her opponent previously, and today she was eager to put on a sharper performance, which she did. Aya Ohori could not withstand the Spaniard’s speed and precision, eventually losing 21-13 and 21-14.

“I’m happy and proud of myself because I had a tough match the day before yesterday (against Zhang Beiwen). I focused more on the things I shouldn’t have done in that match. Today, from the start, I wanted to focus on the areas I wanted to improve. That’s how I performed on the court, and staying focused in the way I wanted was really important.”

The final result showed that Marin would face He Bingjiao instead of Chen Yufei. He Bingjiao defeated the defending champion with a score of 21-16, 21-17, reaching the Olympic semifinals for the second consecutive time.