Egypt’s Omar Assar rallied past Kazakhstan’s Kirill Gerassimenko to secure a 4-2 victory in the Round of 16 and advance to the quarter-final stage at the Paris 2024 Olympics men’s singles table tennis tournament on Wednesday, July 31.
Assar’s victory positioned him as the first African table tennis player to reach the quarter-finals for the second consecutive time at the Olympics.
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The 2023 African Games champion’s road to the quarter-finals saw him trailing 2-0 behind Kazakhstan’s Gerassimenko until Assar staged an impressive recovery, clinching the next four games with scores of 12-10, 12-10, 11-9, and 11-3, culminating in a 4-2 triumph.
His remarkable comeback victory over Gerassimenko was a testament to his tenacity and determination, keeping alive the hope of surpassing his quarter-final record set at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Assar will face a familiar foe, Swedish star Truls Moregard, in the quarter-final of the men’s singles.
