"All the best! Beat everyone there" - Yangzi Liu wishes Sharath Kamal and Sutirtha Mukherjee luck for Asian Games 2023

Young Australian paddler Yangzi Liu has been making headlines for all the right reasons this season. She has been one of the brightest prospects amongst all youngsters at IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) 2023.

Donning the Chennai Lions jersey, Yangzi has made a fantastic start to her UTT journey. She has featured in the singles as well as the mixed doubles matches alongside Sharath Kamal and has been a terrific partner to the Indian legend.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Yangzi opened up on the reception she's received in India, her learnings from Sharath and her favourite teammate.

The right-handed paddler revealed that it is not her first time travelling to India, having been here previously for a tournament. She has found India to be a very hospitable place and particularly enjoys naan, an Indian bread which she has with her lunch and dinner too.

"It is not my first time in India. Last time I came here, I had only one tournament in Goa. It is fantastic being here in this big league. People around here are nice, really good people. Everything is very good at the moment. I really like naan. I eat it everyday with lunch and dinner."

The Chennai Lions paddler is aware that the Asian Games are coming up and her teammates Sharath Kamal and Sutirtha Mukherjee have been drafted in the Indian squad. She wished them the very best for the event and wants them to have a spotless record.

"All the best! Beat everyone there!"

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"She's always smiling and she says I'm the same" - Yangzi reveals Sutirtha as her favourite teammate

Yangzi Liu feels that Sharath Kamal is someone who is well-respected in the team. The 21-year-old wants to emulate the legendary paddler's calm and composure in the future.

"He's really someone who every looks up to in this team. He also takes pressure off me when I play mixed doubles with him. He is also calm and is the captain of the team. I guess that's what I should learn from him but I haven't really gotten there yet."

Yangzi divulged that Sutirtha Mukherjee was her favourite teammate, with the pair having similar positive personalities. However, she pointed out that while her Indian counterpart loved to put on makeup, she prefers not to wear any.

"I really like Sutirtha. She's always smiling and she says I'm the same. So we're always together and we talk a lot. Only one thing - she does put on a lot of make up but I don't, she doesn't like that."

Chennai Lions are all set to qualify for the playoffs and the side will be hoping to go all the way under the expert leadership of Sharath Kamal.