Lily Zhang Loses in Olympic Table Tennis, but Gains Anthony Edwards as a Fan

USA basketball star Edwards insisted he could win a point against Cal graduate Zhang, then he showed up at her match

Lily Zhang after winning her Monday match / Reuters-USA TODAY Sports

Cal graduate Lily Zhang lost her round-of-16 Olympic table tennis match on Wednesday, but along the way she gained a famous fan – USA basketball player Anthony Edwards.

It started when Zhang and her United States’ table tennis teammates ran until Steph Curry during Friday's Opening Ceremonies, with Edwards insisting he could win at least one point in a match against Zhang. The New York Times then tells the story.

Lily Zhang and three teammates from the United States table tennis team were hanging out on a large boat last Friday, making small talk with the N.B.A. star Stephen Curry — as one does at an Olympic opening ceremony — when he asked what sport they played.

They told him, and his eyes lit up.

“Can I borrow you for a second?” Curry asked.

Moments later, the four table tennis players found themselves engaged in a brief but spirited debate with Curry and his teammate Anthony Edwards about whether Edwards, one of basketball’s brightest young talents, could notch a point against them on the table. The friendly trash talk was captured on camera and eventually watched by more than 15 million people online.

“You’ll meet someone, and their first reaction is, ‘I bet I can beat you, let’s play,’” Zhang said, laughing. “I don’t think you’d really say that to anyone in another sport. If you saw Michael Phelps, I don’t think you’d say, ‘I bet I can beat you in a race.’”

So Edwards was in the crowd cheering Zhang on as she upset Bruna Takahashi of Brazil 4-2 on Monday.

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Zhang, the 19th seed in the tournament, was not as successful in Wednesday’s round-of-16 match against fourth-seeded Shin Yubin of South Korea, who is ranked No. 8 in the world.  Zhang lost that match 4-0 (11-2, 11-8, 11-4, 15-13), although she put up a fight in the fourth game.  Zhang had three game points in Game 4, including two at 10-8, and she fought off two match points against her before Shin finished it off on her third match-point opportunity.

It was still Zhang’s best performance in an Olympic Games. The 28-year-old 2018 Cal grad had never got past the round of 32 in her previous three Olympic appearances, and a berth in the round of 16 is an achievement considering the United States has never won an Olympic medal in table tennis, a sport dominated by China.

Zhang is a six-time U.S. national champion and she works as an investment banking analyst at J.P. Morgan.

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Water Polo

Emma Wright and Kindred Paul, Canada: Wright scored two goals and Paul scored one to help Canada beat China 12-7 in pool play. Kindred scored the first goal of the game in the first period, and the Canadian held the lead throughout the game. Wright scored her first goal in the final minute of the first period to make it 4-0, and he second goal came in the third period, giving Canada a 7-4 lead and ending a China surge. Canada has one loss and one win in its two games in pool play, and remains in position to be one of the four teams in its five-team group to reach the quarterfinals. The 28-year-old Paul is a 2018 Cal graduate who is playing in her second Olympics. Wright, 27, played at Cal from 2017 to 2019 and is also participating in her second Olympics.

Kytty Lynn Joustra, Netherlands: Joustra scored a goal in the first quarter, but her Netherlands team lost heart-breaker to Australia 15-14 in a penalty shootout.  Joustra’s goal with 4:02 left in the first period gave the Netherlands a 2-1 lead in a game that went back and forth. Joustra attempted two more shots in the game, missing on attempts in the second and third periods. She also recorded a steal in the game, which was tied 7-7 after four quarters. The winner was not decided until Australian goalkeeper Gabriela Palm saved a shot attempt by Lola Moolhuijzen for an 8-7 lead in the shootout.  Netherlands has two wins and one loss in its three games in pool play, and is still in good shape to be one of four teams to advance to the quarterfinals from its five-team group.  This is the second Olympics for Joustra, who was a three-time All-American while at Cal from 2018 to 2021. 

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Field Hockey

Megan Rodgers Valzonis, USA: Valzonis was not a factor in the United States’ 3-0 loss to Australia in field hockey, but no one else on the American team was either. Valzonis, who led the Bears in scoring all three of her seasons (2017-19) at Cal, was not listed in the U.S. starting lineup for the game.  The Americans have two losses and a draw in their three games in pool play, and are in danger of not being among the four teams in their six-team group to advance to the quarterfinals. The United States plays a pivotal game on Thursday against Great Britain, one of the teams the Americans are competing against for one of the final berth in the quarterfinals.

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