DOHA: After reaching the first round as a group runner-up, Qatar’s Aya Majdi said her participation at the 2013 Qatar Open Table Tennis Championship will ‘make a big difference’ in helping her become a better player in the future.
Majdi, who was granted a walkover victory on Thursday after Ukraine’s Ganna Gaponova failed to turn up for the Group seven qualifying encounter, lost to India’s Ankita Das in four games 6-11, 9-11, 4-11, 3-11, yesterday.
The Qatari will now face seventh seed Wu Jiaduo of Germany in the first round today.
After her match, Majdi said to The Peninsula: “This competition (2013 Qatar Open Table Tennis) will make a big difference for me. The games we play makes a big difference. When you play more games, you get more experience and will help me do better in the future competitions.”
Speaking of her defeat against Das at the Qatar Women’s Sports Hall, the 18-year-old said: “I played my best and I tried by best. I just wasn’t lucky. But we are here to gain experience from the tournament and learn from other players.”
Besides taking part in the qualifying rounds this week, Majdi has also undertaken a training camp in preparation for the regional and international competitions for what will be a busy year for the 18-year-old.
Majdi, who won team tennis gold at the inaugural Arab Women’s Sports Tournament in Dubai last year, was also part of the team who won gold in singles, team and doubles at the 2010 Arab Championships in Doha.
Majdi, who was one of the 15 Qataris to compete in the qualifiers, has set her eyes on winning another gold medal at the Arab Championships and said she could also be competing at the World Table Tennis Championships in May, to be held in Paris.
The right-handed player, who became the first female to represent Qatar at the 2012 Olympic Games in July, said her experience in London was a ‘huge step’. She said: “Competing in the competition (Olympic Games) was a huge step for me. It was not expected at all. I was pleased to see how big the Olympic Games atmosphere was.”
The Qatari, who lost to Canada’s Mo Zhang in the preliminary qualifying rounds at ExCel Centre, added: “I saw more players at the Games. I saw how they played and how they use the balls. It will still help me alot in progressing myself in table tennis.” The Peninsula
