Timothy Lam and Beiwen Zhang Both Ready to Play in Tokyo 2020

As group play continues into Sunday, 7/25, two U.S. players will be playing their first matches of the Games with both taking place at 6 PM JST (5 AM EDT). In men’s singles, Timothy Lam will be facing a tough challenge in World No. 1 Kento Momota. In women’s singles, No. 11 seed Beiwen Zhang will be facing Ukraine’s Marija Ulitina. 

Lam knows the difficulty of facing Momota, who has been the World No. 1 since 2018. Despite that, he’s intent on rising up to the challenge. “Since it’s my first Olympic match and I’m up against the World No. 1, I’m feeling a little nervous but once I get on the court I’m hoping to focus on myself and just to embrace the moment,” he explained. 

Meanwhile, Zhang is preparing for her match against Ulitina as she expects longer rallies and matches against the former Rio 2016 Olympic athlete and future opponents. “My opponents have experienced [the] Olympics”, she said, about the skill and ability she has been preparing to face. 

To watch NBC’s stream of matches, click here. Both Lam, Court 1, and Zhang, Court 2, are scheduled to begin play at 6 PM JST (5 AM EDT) on Sunday.

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Check out the Tokyo 2020 badminton singles draws here.