The Hong Kong table tennis team has its Olympic run halted after Ko Lai Chak was outgunned by top-seeded Chinese Wang Hao in the men's quarterfinal on Friday.
Wang was hardly made to sweat in his five-set clash with Ko, wining 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9.
"I won mainly because I prepared well for any difficulties. I was too conservative in the first two games. Then I started to become more decisive in my shots," said Wang, who has been world number one for 10 straight months.
"I have done a good job in receiving, but Wang's overall skills are much better than mine," said Ko.
Ko cruised into the men's singles top eight after disposing of German sensation Dimitrij Ovtcharov 4-1 to secure a berth in the top eight.
The 32nd-ranked veteran had edged out defending champion Ryu Seung Min 4-2 Thursday to make the biggest surprise of the tournament.
"We are too keen to win and that's why we did not bring out our best in this Olympics," Ko added.
Fourth-seeded Hong Kong finished fourth in the men's team event after being edged by Japan in the group stage and South Korea in a bronze play-off.
"We would have had chance to compete for the bronze medal if our paddlers had played as well as they did in the singles," said Hong Kong coach Chan Kong Wah, who still smarted over the team's failure to reach top three.
Chan gave credit to Ko for his performance in downing Ryu and Ovtcharov. Another Hong Kong player Li Ching was brushed aside by Tan Ruiwu of Croatia in the 1/8 round.
(Xinhua News Agency August 22, 2008)