Photo courtesy of Hana Goda's Instagram account
18-year-old Goda, ranked 26th in the world, delivered a very good performance against the top-ranked, reigning World Champion and Olympic medalist, and was able to push to the end of the 7-set thriller.
On Friday, Goda secured a good achievement after reaching the tournament quarterfinals for the first time in her career after a hard-fought 4-3 victory over France’s Jia Yuan in Macau in the round of 16.
Goda’s milestone run since the tournament start underlines her rapid rise on the international stage, as she became one of the youngest players to reach the last eight of the prestigious competition, which runs in the Chinese city until 5 April.
The 25-year-old Yingsha took the lead early, winning the first two sets 13-11 and 11-8, but Gouda responded strongly, claiming the third, fourth, and fifth sets 16-14, 11-5, and 12-10 to move ahead.
The Chinese player then restored the balance after edging a tense game 11-3, then seized the lead with a 13-11 win in the seventh.
The winner of the World Cup will receive $90,000 in prize money, while the runner-up will earn $50,000.
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