The Thai women's table tennis team defeated Singapore to win the SEA Games gold medal for the third consecutive time. "Ying" Suthasini Sawettabut admitted she felt immense pressure as the deciding player.
The table tennis competition at the 33rd SEA Games took place at Westgate Hall, 4th floor of Central Westgate shopping mall, Bang Yai, Bangkok on 15 Dec 2025 GMT+7. Two gold medals were contested in the men's and women's team events. The Thai athletes advanced to the women's team final to face their longtime rivals, Singapore.
The Thai women's team, two-time defending SEA Games gold medalists, fielded "Tip" Orrawan Paranang, world ranked 73, in the first match against Singapore's Ser Lin Qian, ranked 125. The first game was tense; Orrawan started well but was chased down to deuce before narrowly winning 14-12, taking a 1-0 lead. Ultimately, Orrawan won decisively 3-0 (14-12, 11-7, 11-8), putting Thailand ahead 1-0.
In the second match, "Ying" Suthasini Sawettabut, ranked 98th, faced Singapore's top player Zheng Jian, ranked 37th and Singapore's number one. Given the rankings and Zheng's strength, Suthasini trailed most of the match but fought back to tie 2-2. However, Zheng prevailed in the final game 11-7, winning the match 3-2 (11-9, 6-11, 13-11, 5-11, 11-7) to level the overall score at 1-1.
The third match saw "Tangmo" Thamolwan Khetkhuean, an unranked professional playing in Europe, face Singapore's defensive player Tan Zhao Yun, ranked 150. The match was tight, with Tan using defensive style to disrupt Thamolwan's rhythm. Eventually, Tan won 3-1 (11-1, 6-11, 15-13, 11-9), putting Singapore ahead 2-1.
In the fourth match, Singapore needed a win to claim gold, while Thailand aimed to tie and push the contest to a final match. Orrawan Paranang went up against Singapore's number one Zheng Jian. Both had won their previous matches. The thrilling encounter saw Orrawan recover from a 1-2 deficit to win 3-2 (17-15, 7-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6), leveling the score at 2-2 and keeping Thailand's gold hopes alive.
The deciding fifth match featured Ying Suthasini Sawettabut seeking redemption against Ser Lin Qian, who had lost to Orrawan earlier. The fiercely contested match was tied 2-2 before Ying dominated the final game 11-5, winning the match 3-2 (9-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-5). This secured Thailand's 3-2 victory over Singapore, making history as the Thai women's table tennis team won their third consecutive SEA Games gold medal. Meanwhile, the Thai men's team ended third in Group B, missing the final round.
After the match, Orrawan Paranang expressed happiness, saying the match was very tough, especially since the pressure had been building since the semifinals. Competing as defending champions brought stress, but having the home crowd's support gave them great encouragement. She said the turning point was when they came back from 1-2 down to tie 2-2, boosting their confidence. She also expressed trust in her teammates.
She added, "We can say we are number one in ASEAN now, but this is also a heavy responsibility because Singapore, Malaysia, and other ASEAN countries are improving rapidly and reaching world-class levels. We will have to work even harder. Today's match showed that in two years, we need to train more. We can't claim to be number one with absolute certainty because sports always have wins and losses."
Orrawan further revealed that for the individual events, they will need to start fresh with training since they now know their upcoming opponents. They have two days to prepare and will do their best in the individual competitions.
"Ying" Suthasini Sawettabut said frankly that the SEA Games pressure was even greater than the Asian Games because it was on home soil and they were defending champions. She tried to maintain focus and composure, playing one point at a time to win. She dedicated the medal to all Thai people.
"Tangmo" Thamolwan Khetkhuean spoke about her mother who recently passed away from cancer before the SEA Games. She said that when "Tip" and "Ying" were competing, she prayed for her mother to help them and the team. Before her mother died, they talked about how she wished to see them compete, as her birthday had just passed on 9 Dec. Thamolwan dedicates this gold medal to her mother.