Quarterfinal Exit for Van Emburgh in Men's Singles
by USA Table Tennis
Singles: Jenson Van Emburgh (USA) serving in the quarterfinal for Men's Singles 3 at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. South Paris Arena 4, Paris, France. September 3, 2024. (Photo by ITTF)
Paris, France – Jenson Van Emburgh concluded his second Paralympic Games after a tightly contested match against Yeongjin Jang (KOR) at Paris 2024. The final score was 3-2 (8-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 9-11) in favor of Jang.
The five-game match was extremely close, with neither player able to gain a significant advantage. In the final game, only two points separated the American and the South Korean.
"I was fighting. I wasn't at the level I wanted to be at, but I was still trying to fight and stay in the match, to grind and find a way. I tried, but it didn't work," Van Emburgh reflected after the match.
Despite Van Emburgh's valiant effort and strong performance, Jang's consistency and tactical play proved decisive in clinching the victory. Jang now moves on to face Panfeng Feng in the semifinals.
Van Emburgh, already a Tokyo 2020 Men’s Singles 3 bronze medalist, remains eager to return to the Paralympic podium. His exit from Paris will not deter his aspirations to excel in Para Table Tennis.
"All the hard work I've put in—I know that hard work pays off. Getting back to the podium would be very nice. And changing the color from bronze to silver or gold would be even better, for sure," Van Emburgh remarked.
As the youngest competitor in the field, it is likely that we will see the 24-year-old Van Emburgh return, more determined and stronger than ever, for the Los Angeles 2028 Games.