by sportswriters Cao Jianjie and Hu Jiali
DAKAR, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) — China will go away the Youth Olympic Games and not using a desk tennis medal for the primary time after Li Hechen suffered a shock quarterfinal defeat to Colombia’s Emanuel Otalvaro within the males’s singles on Wednesday, finishing a disappointing marketing campaign for the standard powerhouse.
Li’s 4-1 loss got here a day after compatriot Yao Ruixuan was eradicated from the ladies’s singles. The pair had additionally exited the combined doubles on Sunday, ending China’s hopes of including to its dominant document on the competitors.
China swept all three desk tennis gold medals at every of the earlier two editions of the Youth Olympics, with Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha successful all three titles at the latest version.
Li struggled from the outset towards Otalvaro, dropping the opening three video games earlier than pulling one again. The Chinese rallied from 9-6 all the way down to degree the fifth recreation at 10-10, however Otalvaro claimed the subsequent two factors to seal an 12-10, 13-11, 11-3, 10-12, 12-10 victory.
“I hadn’t expected to beat my Chinese opponent 4-1, as this was the first time we had played against each other. I also served very well,” stated Otalvaro, whose high-toss serves repeatedly troubled Li.
While China endured a disappointing marketing campaign, Japan continued to impress, with 13-year-old Miku Matsushima advancing to the ladies’s singles semifinals after sweeping Poland’s Katarzyna Rajkowska 11-4, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6.
Matsushima, the youthful sister of males’s world No. 1 Sora Matsushima, had already claimed gold within the combined doubles alongside Ryuusei Kawakami on Tuesday.
“I want to become an Olympic champion,” she stated.
The Japanese leads the ladies’ under-15 and under-17 world rankings and sits second within the under-19 class, whereas holding the No. 205 spot within the senior rankings.
Matsushima, the youngest of 4 siblings who all play desk tennis left-handed, stated her household had performed an vital position in her improvement.
“When we are together, my eldest brother Sora gives me some advice,” she stated.
“My family members are now spread across different places, all pursuing table tennis, so I feel I should work even harder. My parents also send me messages with advice on techniques and strategies.”
Matsushima acknowledged that her path to the semifinals had not been easy. She was pushed to 6 video games by Thailand’s Kulapassr Vijitviriyagul on Tuesday earlier than prevailing 11-4, 11-6, September 11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9.
“But I toughed it out,” she stated.
Elsewhere, South Korea’s Lee Seung-soo superior to the boys’s singles semifinals with a 4-1 victory over Trkiye’s Gorkem Ocal.