In the second round, Kelly and her mixed partner JP faced an incredibly strong Chinese team: Shuai Zhao and Jingdian Mao. In the first game, Kelly and JP kept up well with the Chinese team, but they eventually lost 11-8. Surprisingly, they won the next two games by the smallest possible margin of two points: 11-9 and 12-10. An upset seemed to be in the air, but the last two games convincingly went to their opponents, resulting in a 3-2 defeat. A well-played match, but this result means the Dutch pair is out of the mixed tournament.
Still, it was a fantastic experience to play in front of an (almost) full arena, with a lot of noise and commotion (mainly from the French for the French). The last time we experienced such an atmosphere was 8 years ago in Rio, as the Paralympic Games in Tokyo were played without an audience. Kelly and JP take this experience and feeling with them into the singles competition, for which the draw will take place on Friday afternoon, August 30th.
In this category, both Kelly and JP are among the contenders. They are both in great shape, but as we know from the Olympic Games, this is no guarantee of a medal. The singles tournament will kick off on Tuesday, September 3rd, and we are eager to see what it will bring us. The pressure and expectations are high, and it is not always an advantage to start as a three-time Paralympic champion.
