3-and-3. They say that numbers don't lie, but they can certainly mislead. Take Lily Zhang's record at the 2019 Women's World Cup in Chengdu, China. While three wins and three losses might sound like the very definition of mediocrity, it does not begin to hint at the heroics behind the numbers. For one thing, the reigning US national women's champion wasn't really even supposed to be there. Lacking direct qualification from a continental tournament, the world #49 Zhang received the lone wild card spot available to round out the 20-woman field. Once there, Zhang lost to the top seed in her qualification group, Bernadette Szocs of Romania. From there, Zhang went on a historic run. First, she upset Adriana Diaz of Puerto Rico to qualify for the main draw of 16 players. Then, she upset Miu Hirano of Japan to reach the quarterfinals. Next, she upset Austria's Sofia Polcanova to reach the semis, the first American woman to reach the final four at the World Cup. In the semifinals, Zhang faced reigning world champion Liu Shiwen, who was seeking her record fifth World Cup title. It was at this penultimate stage when Zhang's magic ran out, the champion-elect Liu posting a brutally efficient (11-6, 11-1, 11-5, 11-5 ) scoreline. "Liu Shiwen is just too strong for me," said Zhang after her summary dismissal. "She did better than me in every aspect. I will keep the match footage, as I am sure I can learn a lot from her." Although Zhang's title hopes were dashed, she was still in contention for a medal. Facing Singapore's Feng Tianwei in the third place match, Zhang surrendered the first three games before getting on the board in the fourth. In another do-or-die game, Zhang battled back from 7-10 down, staving off multiple match points before ultimately succumbing to the veteran Feng, who won her fourth bronze medal at the event, (11-6, 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 15-13). Afterward, Feng was very complimentary of her unexpected challenger. "This is my first time playing against Lily," said Feng. "Today she posed a big threat. She is an outstanding player and I know she is a top student as well. It is not easy for her to achieve this high level." Lily Zhang showed that she is right at home among the best players in the world. Her even win-loss record doesn't even hint at her heroics, nor how much more she has in store.

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