By Oladimeji Loko, in Rio, Brazil:
Aruna Quadri expects to keep on dreaming tonight as he battles table tennis world number one, Ma Long of China for a place in the semi-finals of the singles event, Completesportsnigeria.com reports.
27-year old Quadri created shock Monday evening when he sent Germany's 35-year old veteran Timo Boll crashing out of the singles with 4-2 victory.
Quadri, admits the crowd played a major role in cheering him on to the dream quarter-finals against the number 13 ranked German and he is now banking on them to propel him into the semi.
"Thank you to all the Brazillian spectators for all their support. They gave me so much energy, this feels good, it's a dream that am in the quarter finals," says the 40th ranked ITF player.
Quadri who raced to a 3-0 lead against Boll before wrapping up the game at 4-2 will have to bank on the same element of surprise to unsettle his opponent tonight.
Ma, a slow starter had to recover from a 2-0 deficit against South Korean opponent Jeong Youngsik in the 4th round, will have to content with Quadri's aggressive attacking style.
An unlikely victory is not impossible for Portugal bassed Quadri. A victory tonight will further cement his legacy.
Copyright © 2022 Completesports.com All rights reserved. The information contained in Completesports.com may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the prior written authority of Completesports.com.
COMMENTS