US para table tennis duo looks ahead to singles play after early loss

PARIS −Thursday’s Round of 32 match in the men’s doubles MD18 didn’t go to plan for U.S. para table tennis duo Tahl Leibovitz and Ian Seidenfeld. The two — who have both found success in singles — fell 3-0 to China’s Chaodong Liu and Yiqing Zhao.

There are still takeaways for both Leibovitz and Seidenfeld. For one, just getting into the venue helped the pair know what to expect for their singles competition, which begins Sunday, Sept. 1 for all classes.

“I mean I feel really good about playing on the tables, leading into the singles,” Seidenfeld said. “But we obviously didn't win a game so it doesn't feel great.”

It was Seidenfeld’s first time playing in front of a crowd in his Paralympic career. The Minnesota native won gold in Tokyo in the Class 6 singles — a standing classification for those with severe arm and leg impediments.

Although getting in front of the crowd at the Paralympics was a different experience for Seidenfeld, it didn’t show in his play. He led a 5-0 run in the second game before the Chinese duo bounced back.

“I felt pretty locked in on the match, so the crowd — I could notice some cheering when we had a good point,” Seidenfeld said. “And it's nice to kind of get that positive affirmations toward what you're doing and that you're doing something right or something worth watching. So that was fun.”

The U.S. duo improved as the match went on, and appeared to settle into more of a rhythm. After the 5-0 run in the second game, Seidenfeld and Leibovitz fell 11-9, improving from the 11-7 deficit in the first game.

The third game looked to get out of hand early with the Americans going down 7-4, forcing a timeout. That timeout conversation centered around Leibovitz receiving the serve, and prompted a change to his backhand.

The change worked, and the American duo tied the game at seven. The change was noticeable and threw the Chinese pair off thei rhythm for a couple of points before they fought it to a 9-9 tie. Still, the effort from the Americans wasn’t enough to overcome the dominant pair with Leibovitz and Seidenfeld falling, 11-9.

“We had a chance in the second game — we were ahead,” Leibovitz said. “We played close in the third. It wasn't like — match could've went the other way. I just need to put a few more balls on the table. I would say Ian probably made about three errors. I made maybe 17.”

Preparing for singles play 

Both Seidenfeld and Leibovitz agreed that Thursday’s doubles match will be a great warm-up for singles play. The competition, between Liu and Zhao, is likely tougher than what either Seidenfeld or Leibovitz will see in their respective singles classifications.

In doubles para table tennis, each duo’s total classification number can not exceed 18. Liu and Zhao’s combined classifications hit that number, while Seidenfeld and Leibovitz in class 9, add up to 15 — just missing the lower MD14 doubles division.

It was a tough draw for the American duo, but one that could pay off in the long run of singles play. Now, it is time for a shift in mindset.

The few days will feature lots of rest and more training before singles competition is set to begin on Sept. 1 — a competition where both Americans are expected to find success in their respective classifications.

“You're not playing every point or every shot, so you're trying to put your partner in the best position possible versus singles — I'm trying to play the point only for myself and where I know where I'll be next,” Seidenfeld said. “For us, probably, it's a little easier to play singles without having to think where is our teammate here.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US para table tennis team finds takeaways for singles play