Aruna first African in Olympic quarters after ousting German star paddler Boll
(Xinhua) Updated: 2016-08-09 09:22
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Aruna Quadri of Nigeria returns the ball against Timo Boll of Germany during a men's singles round 4 table tennis match at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug 8, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] |
The unexpected victory made Aruna the first African ever in an Olympic quarterfinal of table tennis.
"It feels so good!" said Aruna, who turns 28 on Tuesday. "It's like a dream come true. I didn' t expect to go far like this, though I actually believe in myself. Be in quarterfinals is like a miracle to me. I really can' t explain what has been going on."
Rushing into the last 16 as the underdog, Aruna went surprisingly three sets up with fierce attacks before the former world No. 1 German finally found the right rhythm against the unpredictable Nigerian to pull two sets back.
It's too late for Boll to manage a total comeback, however, losing 12-10, 12-10, 11-5, 3-11, 5-11, 11-9.
"When I was 3-0 up, Timo blocked almost all my attacks," said Aruna. "I think I was lucky that it didn't go 3-3 because I would have no chance to play against Timo at that time."
"Timo is amazing. He never gave up, even when I put a lot of pressure on him," he added.
It has been Boll' s fifth Olympic Games and the fourth time that the once European "Golden Boy" failed to qualify for the quarters.
"A lot of people were very surprised about Quadric Aruna, not expecting him playing such a high level," said the 35-year-old. "It's also my first time playing him. I really needed a few sets to get control of the game. But finally it was too late."
