Chesterfield's Liam Pitchford knocked out of German Open
The Chesterfield player, himself ranked No 61, won the first set against Li Ping of Qatar and had chances to extend his lead before losing a protracted second game 19-17.
Ping took the third, but 22-year-old Pitchford hit back to level. However, his opponent stepped up a gear to blitz the fifth game 11-1 and Pitchford could not get back into it, Ping clinching a 4-2 (9-11, 19-17, 11-8, 8-11, 11-1, 11-7) victory.
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Hide AdThe event is the strongest in the 20-year history of the ITTF World Tour as players battle for ranking points in the run-up to the Rio Olympics.
The European Olympics qualifying tournament takes place in Istanbul in April but before that Pitchford will attempt to defend his English National Championships title in March.