By MARK REY MONTEJO
Kheith Rhynne Cruz made an impression after capturing two silver medals in the under-19 table tennis championships in Doha, Qatar over the weekend.
In the WTT Youth Star Contender Doha 2025, the 18-year-old Cruz flashed her might by winning her two matches – against Egypt’s Mariam Younes, 3-0, (11-5, 11-5, 11-3) in round of 16 then completed her remarkable come-from-behind win against Korean Choi Seoyeon, 3-1, (4-11, 11-5, 15-13, 11-5) in the quarterfinal.
In the semis, Cruz hurdled Germany-based Japanese Koharu Itagaki, 3-1 (9-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-7) but she fell short in the most important match, losing to South Korean Heo Yerim, 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 12-10)
After reaching the podium, Cruz zoomed to No. 19 – the highest so far by a Southeast Asian bet. She improved by 15 rungs with 4,060 points in the ITTF rankings.
She clinched her second silver in partnership with Korean Choi Jiwook in the mixed doubles. They lost to Tunisia’s Wassim Essid and India’s Sayali Wani in a tight and tense duel, 3-2, (11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 7-11, 13-11.