Hong Kong fencer Daphne Chan made a winning Olympic debut on Sunday at the Grand Palais in Paris, edging out Sera Azuma of Japan 15-14 in the women’s foil individual round of 32.

It was a tight back-and-forth affair early on before Chan started widening the gap, ending the first period with a 7-4 lead.

Chan scored an early point in the next round to extend her lead, but Azuma refused to go quietly, picking up a few points to tie the score at 11 at the end of the second period.

The third and final period was also a closely fought battle, with the 19-year-old SAR fencer emerging victorious over her Japanese rival ranked 19 places above her.

Chan next takes on Germany’s Anne Sauer in the round of 16.