Tokyo Olympics: Germany’s Ovtcharov bags bronze in men’s singles

Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov beat Taiwan’s Lin Yun Ju 4-3 in a head-to-head battle at the Olympics men’s table tennis singles on Friday to win the bronze medal.

The German paddler saved four matches points in the sixth game, forcing Lin to face a seventh round.

When his 19-year-old opponent failed to hit the ball over the net in the deciding point, Ovtcharov stood shocked, placing his hands on his head before kneeling down to the table.

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The 32-year-old won 13-11 9-11 6-11 11-4 4-11 15-13 11-7, earning his fifth Olympic table tennis medal and second bronze in the singles since he first participated in 2008.

China’s defending Olympic champion Ma Long faces compatriot Fan Zhendong later on Friday for the men’s singles gold.