Liam Pitchford rues missed chances after Olympics exit

The Chesterfield table tennis player lost to Darko Jorgic

Liam Pitchford admits an inability to capitalise on a fast start cost him dear after crashing out at the Olympics.

The Chesterfield table tennis ace, 31, suffered a last 32 defeat against slick Slovenian Darko Jorgic in Paris on Wednesday.

After losing the first two sets, Pitchford rallied to cut the gap but was unable to ever draw level and eventually went down 4-2 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.

Pitchford, an 11-time Commonwealth Games medallist, came flying out of the traps as he raced into a 5-1 lead in the opening set.

But he failed to take advantage as Jorgic, a European singles silver medallist in Munich in 2022, turned the tables to leave Pitchford with an uphill battle.

The Derbyshire star said: "I’m obviously disappointed.

“I think I played a good enough game to get something out of it but it just wasn’t to be today.

“I think the first set was important – I had a 5-1 lead, and then 7-5.

“I could have taken the first set and put him under a bit more pressure, but once he relaxes, he’s difficult to stop for any player in the world.

"I had some chances and in the fifth set I played really well, and the start of the sixth.

“There were a few points where I got a little bit unlucky when it was close in the last set, and it just slipped away from me a little bit.”

Pitchford is a veteran of the gruelling table tennis circuit and also represented Team GB at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

The zenith of his Olympic career came in the team event in Brazil eight years ago, where he combined with Paul Drinkhall and Sam Walker to lower the colours of France and memorably navigate his way to the quarter-finals.

He exited in the first round of the singles in Tokyo but went one step further here in Paris, beating Fijian Vicky Wu to advance to the last 16.

Pitchford added: "It’s tough to take, but I didn’t play a bad match I don’t think.

“I gave it my all and played with what I had today, and unfortunately it wasn’t enough.

“Maybe on another day it might have been."

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