Singapore table tennis player Isabelle Li's hopes of making the singles semi-finals were dealt a heavy blow on Wednesday afternoon when she lost 2-3 (11-9, 10-12, 11-7, 12-14, 6-11) to Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Nga.

The loss meant she now lies second in Group A in the round-robin stage. While she still has one more match against Laotian Seangdavieng Douangpanya on Thursday, her chances of making the semi-finals are slim. Vietnam's Nguyen is undefeated and is set to play Myanmar's San Khin Kaung, who has yet to chalk up a win, next.

Said a clearly disappointed and emotional Li after her loss: "I think my chances of getting to main draw are actually gone. For my singles, it ends here.

"But there's another match tomorrow and I hope I'll still be able to play my best."

Li is a two-time silver-medallist at the SEA Games, having been runner-up at both the 2011 and 2013 editions in Palembang, Indonesia and Naypyidaw, Myanmar.

She is also pencilled in for the team event.