For Singapore's table tennis mixed doubles pair of Gao Ning and Yu Mengyu, letting slip a two-shot lead and losing the crucial first game dashed their hopes of delivering the Republic's first Asian Games medal in the event since 2006.

They had led China's Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha 9-7 in the first game during the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles competition yesterday, but allowed the Chinese to reel off four points in a row to take a morale-boosting 1-0 lead.

The Singaporeans eventually lost 11-9, 11-6, 11-4 at the Jakarta International Expo.

Said Yu: "We were always going to be the underdogs as they are more superior to us in terms of individual skill. But losing the first game was a key turning point.

"Both teams played tight in the first game, sussing each other out, but the fact that they came back and won the game gave them a lot of confidence."

The 29-year-old, part of the women's team who lost in the quarter-finals of the team event on Monday, noted that their Chinese opponents were more relaxed and played more decisively from the second game.

Gao added: "It got tougher in the second game as their confidence soared. We got a bit anxious and didn't manage to execute our normal standard. In the end, we paid the price for it."

The pair had defeated duos from Vietnam and Hong Kong earlier yesterday to reach the quarter-finals, and Yu felt they had played especially well against the latter in the last 16.

"It was our first time playing against the Hong Kong pair, so we decided to take risks and be more adventurous in our play," she added.

The Asiad is the 35-year-old Gao's last competitive outing before he takes on a coaching role.

He will compete in the men's singles today, while Yu and fellow Singaporean Feng Tianwei will feature in the women's singles.

Nicole Chia