Aruna Quadri has blamed bad luck for his exit at the 2016 ITTF World Cup in Germany.
The table tennis competition, which began on Saturday, ends on Monday.
The France-based player was defeated by Sweden’s Par Gerell and later by Singapore’s Ning Gao in his two matches in Group 4.
The Swede beat Quadri 3-2 while Gao, who is the Commonwealth champion, defeated him 4-3, despite trailing 2-0 at the start of the match.
“I think I was just unlucky in this competition because I played very well in the two matches. My inability to return my opponent’s service in the first game affected me while the experience of my opponent in the second game was my undoing,” Quadri told the ITTF’s website.
“I gave my best, but I made a lot of mistakes during crucial stages. I think the Singaporean is more experienced and that really worked for him. I was also unlucky to have missed many chances.
“I knew that it was going to be 50-50 against him because he is a top player. He was also calmer during match and I can conclude that his experience saved him. I hope to do better next time. This exit is another lesson for me and I will keep on working hard to be better at my game.”
Meanwhile, the Swede, Gerell, was excited with his victory over the Nigerian, saying it was a revenge for his loss to Quadri at the German Open earlier in the year.
He said, “I tried to be more aggressive compared to our first meeting at German Open. I also put a lot of spin into my service and put him under a lot of pressure. When it comes to forehand and rally, he is better than me. But I ensured I did not allow him to play his game.
“This win is very important because three of us in the group have equal chance to qualify from the group.”
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