Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri is feeling so sad and disappointment that he failed to live to expectations in an Olympic Games which he had invested so much to advance his career in the game of table tennis.
After getting a bye in the first two rounds, Team Nigeria’s Captain at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics, Quadri took to the table in the third round of the Men’s Table Tennis Singles against Brazilian Gustavo Tsuboi at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Monday. In an enthralling contest where both sides gave everything, Brazil’s Gustavo Tsuboi had the day in a 4-2 (13-15, 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6) victory over the Nigerian ping pong player.
It was a shocking third round loss.
“I gave my 100% but it was not meant to be. I gave almost everything, but he (my opponent) was much better. I am a better player in terms of ranking but anyone in the Top 100 can always spring surprises. I was disappointed, but I will continue to work and see what will happen in future”, he said in an interview after the game.
“There is no doubt a loser will always feel very bad, I was disappointed but this is not the end of the world. I came to the Olympics to better the quarter final feat of the last Olympics. In sports losing is unavoidable,” said Quadri, while emphasizing that he did not underrate the Brazillian. “We are in Bundesliga together.”
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Omar Assar has equaled Quadri Aruna’s Olympic Games record as the second African player to reach the quarterfinal stage of the men’s singles table tennis event at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Nigeria’s Aruna became the first African to reach the quarterfinal after his quarterfinal finish at Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
But on Monday, at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Assar continued with his good run with a close 4-3 (11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-7) win over Chinese Taipei’s veteran Chih Yuan Chuang in the round of 16 tie of the men’s singles.
Starting his campaign from the second round, Assar beat Ukraine’s Lei Kou 4-3 (15-13, 11-6, 11-4, 6-11, 8-11, 9-11, 11-4) to book his place in the fourth round.
In the fourth round, the Egyptian star defeated World vice-champion, Sweden’s Mattias Falck 4-3 (11-5, 6-11, 8-11, 13-11, 4-11, 11-6, 11-8) to berth in the last 16.
Just like Aruna at Rio 2016, Assar will face his biggest task in Tokyo as he is expected to battle World and Olympic Champion China’s Ma Long in one of the quarterfinal matches of the men’s singles on Wednesday, July 28, 2021.
After his triumph in the round of 16, Assar described his win as an awesome feat, which he attributed to the support he got from his family in Germany and Egypt.
He described his opponent as an experienced and legend of the game.
“Thank God I am very honoured really today for my performance and I am very proud also for the support I got from all my families who woke up for me early this morning in Germany my wife and in Egypt. I felt supported and proud to represent Egypt in the quarterfinal and this is very big for me.”
“The match was a very tight one because I played a very long match against Mattias Falck in the fourth round this morning and I had to practice few minutes to play this match the round of 16 match. My opponent is a very good player and I respect him having played together in the same club in France,” Assar said.
Ahead of the tie against Ma Long, Assar said: “Ma Long is the greatest of all time, I am playing well here and I will do my best against him.”
