by sportswriters Cao Jianjie and Hu Jiali
DAKAR, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- China will leave the Youth Olympic Games without a table tennis medal for the first time after Li Hechen suffered a shock quarterfinal defeat to Colombia's Emanuel Otalvaro in the men's singles on Wednesday, completing a disappointing campaign for the traditional powerhouse.
Li's 4-1 loss came a day after compatriot Yao Ruixuan was eliminated from the women's singles. The pair had also exited the mixed doubles on Sunday, ending China's hopes of adding to its dominant record at the competition.
China swept all three table tennis gold medals at each of the previous two editions of the Youth Olympics, with Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha winning all three titles at the most recent edition.
Li struggled from the outset against Otalvaro, losing the opening three games before pulling one back. The Chinese rallied from 9-6 down to level the fifth game at 10-10, but Otalvaro claimed the next two points 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," said Otalvaro, whose high-toss serves repeatedly troubled Li.
While China endured a disappointing campaign, Japan continued to impress, with 13-year-old Miku Matsushima advancing to the women's singles semifinals after sweeping Poland's Katarzyna Rajkowska 11-4, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6.
Matsushima, the younger sister of men's world No. 1 Sora Matsushima, had already claimed gold in the mixed doubles alongside Ryuusei Kawakami on Tuesday.
"I want to become an Olympic champion," she said.
The Japanese leads the girls' under-15 and under-17 world rankings and sits second in the under-19 category, while holding the No. 205 spot in the senior rankings.
Matsushima, the youngest of four siblings who all play table tennis left-handed, said her family had played an important role in her development.
"When we are together, my eldest brother Sora gives me some advice," she said.
"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 straightforward. She was pushed to six games by Thailand's Kulapassr Vijitviriyagul on Tuesday before prevailing 11-4, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9.
"But I toughed it out," she said.
Elsewhere, South Korea's Lee Seung-soo advanced to the men's singles semifinals with a 4-1 victory over Türkiye's Gorkem Ocal. ■
