Emotional shuttlers Tang, Tse bow out of Olympics

Jordan Tang and Tse Ying-suet were the last shuttlers from Hong Kong to bow out of the Paris Olympics, as they shared an emotional moment following defeat in the mixed doubles quarter-final. The long-time partners on the court were brushed aside in straight games by the third-seeded pair of Chae Yu-jung and Seo Seung-jae. The South Koreans needed just 39 minutes to finish off the SAR duo, winning 21-15, 21-10. Tang and Tse went down by as much as 9-16 in the opening game, before taking five of the next seven points to go within 14-18. They never got closer than that, however, and the Koreans hung on to win. Chae and Seo then asserted control of game two with a 8-1 run, and never relinquished the lead. Both Tang and Tse had trouble holding back tears while meeting the press afterwards. Tse, who said she's grateful just to compete in Paris, revealed for the first time that she was in a hospital emergency ward "two, three weeks ago" but did not specify the reason. "Perhaps in the past month, I've cried every single day while on the court. Jordan withstood a lot from me," Tse said as she briefly lost her composure in front of cameras. "I couldn't even squeeze a toothpaste ... or comb my hair." She also heaped praise on Tang, saying without him she might have retired a long time ago. Tang, for his part, Tang thanked Tse for not giving up. "I also picked up bumps and bruises here and there so I understand how difficult it is ... Returning to a high level after injury is never easy, yet she's done it many times." Tang added they've been under immense pressure in the past year or so punching their Paris tickets, as they had trailed so much in the rankings.