2016 Rio Olympic Games   On her Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro HAN Ying was halted in the quarterfinals. World champion China’s DING Ning the Women’s Singles Event top seed ended the aspirations of Germany’s HAN Ying the no.5 seed (11-8 11-5 11-3 11-7).   The 33-year-old HAN had no chance. DING Ning justified her reputation as a true defense killer. Forehand top spin strokes with relentless efficiency directed to the body of her adversary took its toll as the contest progressed and Ding Ning became more relaxed the tirade gained in speed.   “She played even harder than usual I did not expect it. On the other side DING “read” my game very well. I’ve also heard that the Chinese women have increasingly trained to defense because I have won twice against CHEN Meng” said HAN Ying. “I had planned to attack more but during the game I realized that this is even more of a disadvantage. Then I played again passive. I tried everything but she was everywhere.”   Appearing in her fourth Olympic Games in Rio Ai FUKUHARA (JPN) was in top form against London 2012 Bronze medalist second seeded FENG Tianwei (SIN) to claim another 4-0 victory.   The Japanese sensation who has not dropped a single game throughout her run in Rio gave no chance to the 2010 World Team Champion to fight back prevailing 14-12 11-8 11-7 11-5 to reach the women’s singles semifinals.   This victory was a major breakthrough for FUKUHARA as her previous best Olympic Singles results was the quarterfinals in London where she lost to top seeded DING Ning.   “I still feel like I’m in a dream” shared FUKUAHRA after her epic victory. “It’s the Olympic Games upsets are normal. FENG is much stronger than me in terms of skills I would be happy to win half of our encounters. But Olympics is such a big match for me I have to go all out to play her. And that is the only thought I had in the match.”   Surprise defeat to FUKUHARA FENG’s colleague YU Mengyu of Singapore suffered the same fate under DPR Korea’s defender KIM Song I.   Ranked 50th in the world the fearless KIM has been unstoppable on her Olympic debut in Rio knocking out higher ranked players including world number six Kasumi ISHIKAWA (JPN).   In the semifinals face-off against YU KIM continued her winning streak for a 4-2 (11-8 6-11 11-5 11-6 9-11 11-6) victory over the Singaporean.   Kim was pleased with her performance over YU sharing “I am very happy. I am so proud that I could make such a good performance on the biggest stage. I was very in control more so than my opponent which was key for me today. I will do my best in the next round to do a good Performance in the next round.”   “It is a great honor to play here and with the world’s best players” added the 21-year-old.   The remaining two semifinals places went to China with Defending Champion LI Xiaoxia and reigning World Champion cruising past their opponents to reach top 4 of the Women’s Singles event.   Grand Slam Champion LI swept Chinese Taipei’s CHENG I-Ching 4-0 (11-5 11-5 11-6 11-6).   “I didn’t expect to win so easily against her. In her match yesterday she was leading 3-0 and won 4-3 so I think she’s in good form in Rio and I was ready to play full 7 games with her” said LI after the match. “It may seem easy that I won all my three matches 4-0 but I was in fact nervous during my preparations and trainings for my all my matches. It could be because of the tense atmosphere so I can’t let my guards down in my preparations.”  

Records smashed on Day 3 at Rio 2016   Third day of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games table tennis event concluded with several record breaking matches that rocked the arena in Riocentro Pavilion 3.   2014 ITTF Male Table Tennis Star Quadri ARUNA was in unbeatable form against former world number one and six-times European Champion Timo BOLL (GER) in the battle for a quarterfinal spot prevailing 12-10 12-10 11-5 3-11 5-11 11-9 to become the first African table tennis player to make it through to the quarterfinals where he will play World Champion MA Long (CHN) for a place in the semifinals.   After a tough 4-3 opening match against LI Ping (QAT) earlier today third seeded Dimitrij OTCHAROV was put through another challenge in the Round of 16 against Slovenia’s Bojan TOKIC especially in the first game! The first game finished 33-31 to TOKIC which is a world record score. This insane game went for a whopping 26 minutes which is longer than a lot of the full matches here at Rio 2016.   On the game that will go down in table tennis folk law OVTCHAROV stated: “It was very cool to be a part of this world record game but it is a shame that I didn’t get to win it.”   The European champion may not have won the world record game but he was able to win the next four to clinch the match 4-1 (31-33 12-10 11-5 11-4 11-7) to progress to the quarterfinals where he will meet his club team mate Vladimir SAMSONOV (BLR).   The capacity Brazilian crowd went home disappointed after a spirited Hugo CALDERANO (BRA) who played the tournament of his life lost against the number four seeded Jun MIZUTANI (JPN). MIZUTANI’s win sets up an intriguing clash with Marcos FREITAS (POR).   2010 Youth Olympic Games champion Koki NIWA recovered from 1-3 down to upset against world number eight WONG Chun Ting (HKG) 4-3 (6-11 11-6 8-11 5-11 12-10 11-4 11-8). NIWA whom some people questioned about his selection in the Japanese team now plays defending champion ZHANG Jike (CHN) in the quarterfinals.   Similarly for NIWA’s teammate Ai FUKUHARA who have lost several high profile matches in the last year the table tennis community have raised much doubt with her being selected for the Women’s Singles over 15-year-old Mima ITO.   Competing in her fourth Olympic Games FUKUHARA was set on proving her critics wrong the sixth seed was on fire to defeat DPR Korea’s top defender RI Myong Sun with a convincing 4-0 (11-5 12-10 11-1 11-7) victory.   “Olympic is very special not same as other international events. It’s really not easy. I trained very hard in these months just for the Olympic game here in Rio. I’m now sure my practicing is paying off” shared the Japanese star. “It was a big turning point when I was 10-10 score in the 2nd game. It was a big advantage for me when I got 12-10 score at that game finally.”   FUKUHARA will continue her quest for an Olympic medal against the London 2012 bronze medalist FENG Tianwei (SIN) tomorrow.   KIM Song I (PRK) continued shocking her opponents with her defensive style defeatingCHEN Szu-Yu (TPE) 4-2 and will now play YU Mengyu (SIN).   The final two women’s quarterfinal matches will be contested between the number one seed DING Ning (CHN) and HAN Ying (GER) and between the reigning Olympic champion LI Xiaoxia (CHN) and CHENG I-Ching (TPE).

2016 Rio Olympic Games   Quadri ARUNA of Nigeria created a top rated upset by reaching the quarterfinal of the Men’s Singles Event at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. World’s no. 40 on his way to top 8 he beat the World’s no. 14 and no. 10 seed Timo BOLL of Germany (12-10 12-10 11-5 3-11 5-11 11-9).   “This is amazing; I don’t know what to say. My fans made me do this. Thank you for all the Brazilian spectators for their support. They gave me so much energy. This feels so good; it is a dream come true that i am in the quarterfinal.”   Timo BOLL once again failed to reach the only “big” medal that is missing in his tresuary.   “ARUNA has surprised a lot of people. I knew he was good coming into the match. I just have to say well played! His whole game is different so it took me awhile to work it out. Once I was 0-3 down I started to get more into the match but it was already too late.”   Korea’s JUNG Youngsik the no.9 seed won the first two games before MA Long recovered (6-11 10-12 11-5 11-1 13-11 13-11). Jun MIZUTANI ended the hopes of the host nation’s Hugo CALDERANO in six games (11-5 11-6 11-13 8-11 11-8 12-10).Portugal’s Marcos FREITAS the no.8 seed accounted for Ukraine’s KOU Lei in four straight games (11-8 11-7 11-5 11-7).    Geramny’s HAN Ying reached the quarterfinal of the Women’s Singles Event at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. In the Round of 16 she overcame LI Xue of France. It was a contest that required the Expedite Rule to be introduced. Eventually HAN Ying emerged successful in five games (11-4 11-4 8-11 11-13 13-11).    “It was so difficult playing against Li Xue the match was much harder than the result might suggest” said Han Ying. “Long points it is mentally very tiring most importantly you have to believe in yourself. Tactically when you are playing under the Expedite Rule you must be prepared to make changes. When you are serving and you need to attack sometimes you must be patient and wait; on other occasions you need to attack earlier in the rally; today when receiving service I kept telling myself that I must not lose!”   In the quarterfinal she will meet DING Ning of China. DING overcame DOO Hoi Kem of Hong Kong.

2016 Rio Olympic Games   Germany’s Dimitrij OVTCHAROV concluded the first match in the Men’s Singles Event at the 2016 Rio Olympics Games victoriously. He overcame LI Ping of Qatar 4-3 to advance to Men’s Singles Round of 16 (8-11 11-4 11-9 7-11 11-5 9-11 11-9).    “The first match is always difficult and even more difficult when against a player who has already played a match. I have practised and prepared but coming into the hall with all the noise and the atmosphere created it takes time to adjust” said OVTCHAROV.   “Tactically and technically LI Ping was very good he returned service well and we know each other well before we came here we practised together in Germany. In the sixth game I led 7-3 and lost; that made it extra hard for the seventh.”   No. two seed ZHANG Jike of China succeeded against CHEN Chien-An (11-5 13-11 12-10 11-7).   “We have competed against thrice just this year alone and we both had wins and losses so we are familiar about each other’s playing style. Playing at the Olympic Games is still different as compared to other events. I think I played my usual form today. The desire for victory at the Olympic Games is definitely higher as compared to World Tour events. It’s the same case for CHEN. We are both playing on the Olympic stage giving our full focus for every point it really depends on how you keep yourself on top of your game. Coming into the match today I would say I’m in better form than before. Single events will probably be better for me given that it’s best of 7 games it’s faster to concentrate into the match as compared to best of 5 games in the team event” stated ZHANG.   The Round of 32 concluded with great upsets. Adrian CRISAN of Romania who beat Timo BOLL last time in London was in charge for the biggest upset in this Round in Rio. Seeded at position no. 50 Crisan overcame no. 12 seed LEE Sangsu of Korea in seven games (11-9 11-13 11-5 12-10 10-12 6-11 11-13). Paul DRINKHALL of England joined him by beating Andrej GACINA of Croatia. No. 38 seed beat no. 15 in six games (11-8 10-12 9-11 8-11 11-5 8-11). Seeded no. 14 is also out. Tiago APOLONIA of Portugal suffered by the hands of Bojan TOKIC of Slovenia.  

2016 Rio Olympic Games   Reigning Olympic Champion LI Xiaoxia of China emerged victoriously to reach the top 16 of the Women’s Singles event at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. LI Xiaoxia overcame Sweden’s LI Fen (11-7 11-7 11-8 11-7).   “Coach Kong Linghui has given me clear tactics on how to play this match against LI Fen to slow my pace down play longer strokes and not give her the chance to play her strengths “ said LI.” I’m still very nervous coming into my first match at Rio 2016 furthermore it’s against LI Fen she was a member of Chinese National Team so she’s still very strong. I’m nervous but it’s much better compared to London 2012 I have played at the Olympics before I have experienced this that helps.”   About LI’s preparations for Rio:   “I have 2 matches today and I have to prepare them match by match. To put down everything and put myself all out to fight my every match regardless of who my opponent is. I think that is the most important part of the competition for me.”   Flag bearer for Austria LIU Jia was the only European player to book her place in the Round of 16 in the morning session of the tournament at the third day of the play. No. 16 seed beat European Games champion LI Jiao of Netherlands (7-11 11-8 15-13 11-9 11-5).   LEE Ho Ching Hong Kong destroyed Ukraine’s Tetyana BILENKO’s hopes 4-1 (11-8 12-10 9-11 13-11 11-6).   “I have practised a great deal in Hong Kong against defensive players and I think now my forehand is much better much stronger against backspin play. Now I’m making less mistakes than in the past I think I’m more patient than before and today I felt confident before the match started. For sure the fact that Doo Hoi Ken won yesterday helped a great deal today that really motivated me.”   Experience count… RI Myong Sun (PRK) no. 21 seed on her second apearence at the Olympic Games beat no. 10 seed Petrissa SOLJA of Germany on her debut to make it to Women’s Singles Round of 16 (11-5 11-7 11-6 11-6).   FENG Tianwei of Singapore overcame NI Xia Lian of Singapore (8-11 5-11 11-8 11-5 11-4 11-5).   “It’s my first match so my body still feels a little tense. NI’s playing style is very unique I think she’s probably the only one in the world playing that style so I’m not used to that. I found it hard to find my rhythm in the first 2 games and that she was playing very well so it was really tough for me. She’s a great player and I have much to learn from her.”   Japan’s Ai Fukuhara the no.6 seed accounted for Romania’s Daniela Monteiro Dodean (11-5 11-6 11-4 11-1).

2016 Rio Olympic Games   World’s no. one MA Long of China emerged victoriously to book his place in the Round of 16 in Men’s Singles Event at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. In the third round on his first match in Riocentro – Pavilion 3 World champion overcame Jonathan GROTH of Denmark (11-3 11-2 11-3 11-9).    “I have mixed feelings I lost but it was a great privilege to play the best player in the world. He made just one mistake in the whole match; at 10-5 in the fourth game he made an error with a forehand. I think I played well but everything came back with interest. He is a fantastic player.”   MA will meet JEOUNG Youngsik of Korea in the Round of 16. World’s no. 10 overcame Liam PITCHFORD of Great Britain (6-11 11-8 13-11 11-5 11-5). Seeded no. 4 Jun MIZUTANI of Japan also justified his status. He beat Greece’s Gionis PANAGIOTIS (11-9 10-12 11-5 11-8 11-6). Seeded no. 28 KOU Lei of Ukraine upset the rankings and beat no. 13 seed Simon GAUZY of France (6-11 11-6 14-16 9-11 6-11).   “The last time I played Simon I won the deciding match in the European Qualification tournament in Halmstad” said KOU.“After winning earlier today against Omar ASSAR after nearly being out of the tournament I did not feel under any pressure I was able to play freely. I had most of the luck the nets and edges.”   Portugal’s Marcos FREITAS overcame Romania’s Ovidiu IONESCU (11-9 1-11 11-5 11-7 11-9).   In October 2015 Timo BOLL had knee surgery but six months later he recovered to book his place for his fifth Games in Rio. However on his first appearance in Riocentro he faced great problems against Alexander SHIBAEV of Russia. His struggling brought back memories of London 2012 when he was defeated much earlier than his rankings has predicted. In London CRISAN beat him in the match for the quarterfinal. Against SHIBAEV he faced another shocking defeat but recovered to reach the Round of 16 (12-14 11-4 7;11 11;7 1–12 12-10 11-6).   In the lower half of the draw Paul DRINKHALL of Great Britain overcame GAO Ning of Singapore 4-3 (11-7 11-6 3-11 11-3 9-11 9-11 11-8) to advance to the Men’s Singles Round of 32. Tomorrow he will meet Andrej GACINA of Croatia.    “Playing Gao Ning I know him well but I’ve never previously beaten him. Certainly his forehand top spin is very good he puts a lot of spin on the ball but today his fast backhand caused me more problems. I was serving I used sidespin serves maybe he was more relaxed he played really great flick returns. In the seventh game I just found myself in the right zone I felt confident in myself.”   Bojan TOKIC of SLovenia beat WANG Zengyi of Poland 4-2 (9-11 11-9 11-6 9-11 11-5 11-3)in the second round of the Men’s Singles event to meet Tiago APOLONIA of Portugal.    “I’ve always had problems playing WANG Zengyi but earlier this year in Qatar I beat him; he is very quick he gives you little time to react. I know what to expect; I felt today that my top spin play from both backhand and forehand was strong.”  

2016 Rio Olympic Games   The top guns entered the competition today. In the Women’s Singles Event at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games top seeded DING Ning of China successfully started her journey. In the higher half of the draw two European players HAN Ying and LI Xue secured the place in the Round of 16.   Silver medalist in singles in London 2012 and World champion in 2015 World no. two beat Romania’s Elizabeta SAMARA on her way to the round of 16 (11-5 11-8 11-5 11-2).   “I came very early today to start my warm up so it felt like I waited very long for my match to start. I was a little nervous at the start of the match but things eventually went well” said DING.   DING Ning was 0:6 in reverse in the second game.   “I wasn’t into rhythm then SAMARA had 2 edge balls when she was already leading 4-0. At that time I wasn’t panicking and was able to keep myself calm to strategize. The second game is actually the most crucial part of the match if I had lost that game the third and fourth game would have been more difficult for me.”   It was the same outcome of another Europe vs. Asia clash on the near table – Hong Kong’s DOO Hoi Kem beat Hungarian Georgina POTA 4:2 (8-11 9-11 14-12 11-8 11-9 11-8). It was 19 years old player début at the Olympic Games.   “I lost the first two games because I was so nervous so many people in the hall so much noise I lost concentration. When I was down 9-10 in the third game I said myself I must not lose so easily. After I won the third game I was much more active much more positive and I became more confident” said DOO Hoi Kem.   World’s no. 8 HAN Ying of Germany beat Thailand’s Nanthana KOMWONG on her way to the Top 16 (11-2 11-4 11-4 11-3). Currently ranked at the position no. 55 LI Xue of France upset the favorite and beat World’s no. 21 LI Jie of Netherlands after full seven games (11-8 14-12  8-11 9-11 7-11 11-6 8-11).   JEON Jihee of Korea prevailed against Matilda EKHOLM of Sweden 4:1 (11-2 11-3 3-11 11-4 11-2); CHEN Szu-Yu of Taipei accounted for Turkey’s HU Melek (10-12 6-11 7-11 8-11).

2016 Rio Olympic Games   At age of 53 NI Xia Lian of Luxembourg is still dangerous for most of the players at the top. Today in the Women’s Singles Event at the 2016 Rio Olympics Games she booked her place among top 32 players. On her way to the third round NI beat SHEN Yanfei of Spain in full seven games thriller (12-10 10-12 12-10 6-11 10-12 11-4 11-7).    “I didn’t expect to go so far here in Rio. It was a difficult match against SHEN Yanfei I had many opportunities in the games to win but I missed that. Many times in the past I would have lost the match totally but today I held on to the big opportunity to win it. Mentally I think I’m stronger today and my experience helped too. I implemented my tactics well in the match and I had to believe in myself.”   Speaking about the match NI added:   “I lost few games because I was too eager to win but I’m not young anymore I have to accept the situation I am in. If I’m still 20 years younger I would have taken every chance to end the match faster but I’m not anymore my body can’t keep up with my strategies and tactics and I need to adapt and play slower games and be more passive in my play. It’s like walking on thin ice it’s not easy.”   Still the experience can not help when it comes to excitement that Olympics bring.   “I still feel tired from my matches yesterday and last night I couldn’t sleep because I was too excited.”   About her next match against FENG Tianwei NI was realistic.   “Everybody is so good here and I’m happy to have the opportunity to challenge them. It’s fun and wonderful I will try my best! I’m fully motivated. FENG Tianwei is very good! She’s the 2010 World Team Champion and has beaten the world number one several times before. She’s very strong and consistent. She’s a professional I’m a housewife but I enjoy it. I have my family and supportive team to motivate me.”

Rio 2016 Olympic Games   In the first round of the Men’s Singles Event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Finland’s Benedek OLAH beat Singapore’s CHEN Feng (11-411-87-1111-911-6).   The player who was born in Finland but whose parents are from Hungary was delighted after the victory.   “This is my Olympics next time I might not qualify. I think CHEN Feng was really very nervous today; he let me play. That gave me confidence. I was surprised by his tactics he played very slowly I was not able to play hard against him. CHEN is smart his serves are difficult to read; more than once I gained a lead and then he came back. However I was able to finish the match” stated OLAH.   Adam PATTANTYUS of Hungary needed five games to beat Russia’s Kirill GERASSIMENKO (11-9 11-9 7-11 11-7 11-9). The oldest player in the field Spain’s HE Zhiwen overcame FENG Yijun of USA by the same margin (11-6 7-11 11-7 8-11 11-9 11-4).   Jakub DYJAS of Poland accounted for Paraguay’s Marcelo AGUIRRE in straight games (11-5 11-9 11-9 11-7) whilst Slovenia’s Bojan TOKIC needed one more to overcame Iran’s Noshad ALAMIYAN (11-8 7-11 11-4 11-5 11-9). Kamal ACHANTA SHARATH of India failed to halt the progress of Adrian CRISAN of Romania (8-11 12-14 11-9 6-11 8-11). Another Romania’s player Ovidiu IONESCU also progressed to the next stage. He beat Nima ALAMIAN of Iran.   In all-European duel the member of the bronze winning team at the World Championships Paul DRINKHALL of England beat Aleksandar KARAKASEVIC of Serbia (10-12 12-10 11-8 11-8 11-5).   KARAKASEVIC has been the only European player required to play in the preliminary stage of the Men’s Singles Event. He reached the Round of 128 after victory over Australia’s YAN Xin 4:2 (11-8 10-12 11-8 11-9 10:12 11-3).   “I have never played against YAN and that is a rare situation. I know almost all players on the circuit. It was not easy having player born in China in the opening round of the tournament” said KARAKASEVIC.

Rio 2016 Olympic Games   At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games the table tennis tournament commenced this morning with both Men’s and Women’s Singles Event.   In the opening round of the Women’s Singles event for Poland’s Katarzyna GRZYBOWSKA-FRANC the Czech Republic’s Iveta VACENOVSKA and Romania’s Daniela MONTEIRO-DODEAN emerged victoriously. Katarzyna GRZYBOWSKA-FRANC and Daniela MONTEIRO-DODEAN ended Indian hopes; Katarzyna beat Manika BATRA (10-12 11-6 14-12 8-11 11-4 14-12) Daniela overcame Mouma DAS (11-2 11-7 11-7 11-3).   Iveta VACENOVSKA overcame Colombia’s Lady RUANO (11-8 11-2 11-7 11-8) Lily Zhang accounted for Gremlis ARVELO (11-3 11-5 11-5 11-7) before WU Yue brought the morning to a conclusion by beating the Slovak Republic’s Eva ODOROVA (3-11 11-5 11-9 11-6 11-8).   Galia DVORAK of Spain came to Rio as a replacement for the injured French player Carole GRUNDISCH but her stay ended shortly. DVORAK lost against GUI Lin of Brazil (11-1 5-11 11-6 3-11 11-9 11-6)   “I was prepared physically but I was not prepared in my head because it is such a big tournament it happens only once every four years and people train four five six months and because I was not qualified maybe I was fine in my game but my head is still somewhere else.”   She faced the vocal crowd in her match against host nation representative.   “It’s not so nice not what we are used to in table tennis but I would not say it really affected me I was focused on my game and all this just at the beginning it was very shocking actually I lost the first game 11-1 because I clearly wasn’t there. We are not used to this in table tennis like in other countries like in China they cheer a lot but never against the opponent they cheer for their players but never making this ‘ooooh’ against you it was just weird.”   Egypt’s Nadeen EL-DAWLATLY was beaten in four straight games by Hungary’s Petra LOVAS (11-6 11-9 11-7 11-7) Nigeria’s Offiond EDEM experienced defeat at the hands of Viktoria PAVLOVICH of Belarus (5-11 11-8 11-8 11-7 11-4). Another Belarus representative Alexandra PRIVALOVA is also safely through to the second round. She overcame Iran’s Neda SHAHSAVARI to join NI Xia Lian of Luxembourg and Barbara BALAZOVA of Slovakia in next round. PRIVALOVA needed full seven games against SHAHSAVARI (11-8 11-8 8-11 8-11 11-8 4-11 11-5). BALAZOVA overcame Yadira SILVA of Mexico in straight games (12-10 11-5 11-8 11-7) whilst NI inflicted the pain in host nation supporters by beating Caroline KUMAHARA in another full distance thriller (12-10 14-16 8-11 9-11 11-8 11-3 14-12). KUMUHARA saved four match points in the decider.   NI Xia Lian had to change her style mid-match after falling behind three games to one:   “I changed to a new style after 40 years. I could not play conservative anymore because she played super good. So I’m really happy to win. She started to change the speed of the ball. So sometimes the ball was so fast and so short.”   On her next opponent SHEN Yanfei of Spain NI said: “My opponent is better than me. In the history I have always beat her but history is history and not today. I hope for tomorrow I have another beautiful day.   The 53 years old player added: “Life is beautiful I don’t remember my age but sometimes I feel my age. That’s the only shame (laughs).”