LONDON — For the last four years, Ariel Hsing, 16, has played table tennis at least three hours a day, six days a week. Her parents set up a special room for the game at the back of their house in San Jose, Calif. Out went the porch, the fountain and the flower beds. In went a well-lighted space for a table and a ball-return machine. Live-in coaches were flown in from China.  Her father, a computer software engineer, left his job with IBM so he could work from home, available to ferry his daughter to practices and matches. Hsing’s schoolwork was never compromised. The deal was that every report card had to be straight A’s or table tennis would be withheld. A 91 on a grammar test once put her oh so close to a B.  On Sunday night, all this effort nearly paid off with an incredible upset as Hsing — ranked No. 115 in the world — nearly beat the second seed in the Olympics, Li Xiaoxia of China. The score was 11-4, 9-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9.  “This is such a huge confidence builder,” Hsing said excitedly. “When I just let go and play, I can compete with the world’s best.”  The match began as expected, with Li, 24, an elite player for the world’s table tennis superpower, coasting to an 8-0 lead in the first game.  But then Hsing, a thin, jaunty player with a ponytail, shrugged off her nerves and began handling her opponent’s fierce forehand. In the final games of the third-round match, both players were emotional, pumping their fists and swiping at the air, reacting to every point.  “Ariel was not a shy one today,” said her mother, Xin Jiang. “She didn’t back down at all.” Doru Gheorghe, the coach of the United States women’s team, said: “Ariel is one tough girl, and she is only 16. Imagine if she stays with it. Imagine if she gains the international experience.”  Hsing played well all day. In the morning, she upset Ni Xia Lian, a Chinese-born athlete now playing for Luxembourg. The match was a battle of the ages. Ni, a former world champion, is 49 and a mother of two. She has a 20-year-old son.  Wisdom often comes with age, but this time age came alone. By her own admission, Ni entered the match overconfident, attending only one of the warm-up sessions. She had easily defeated Hsing two years ago and was startled to discover the teenager now had an answer to her short strokes.  “Experience is good to have, but it is not a guarantee,” Ni said later. “Ariel is much improved. I thought she would miss. I tried too many difficult shots when I should have just tried to put the ball on the table.”  The match seesawed: 11-9, 10-12, 11-9, 11-5, 10-12, 12-10. Under pressure, it was the older woman who lost her composure, stomping her foot and berating herself for mistakes.  “Ariel played a near-perfect game against Ni Xia Lian, close to as good as she can possibly play,” said Gheorghe, a Romanian who played professionally in Europe.  The coach, though delighted with Hsing’s play, has actually been wistful throughout the tournament. On Sunday, he again looked into the future and saw regret.  “Too bad Ariel has to go to college,” he said.  The United States Olympic women’s table tennis team is made up of three 16-year-olds from California. Hsing is the best. Lily Zhang, who is from Palo Alto, lost in the first round. Erica Wu of Arcadia will not play until team competition begins. Each is an honor student.  And the educational clock is ticking. After 16 is 17. After 17 is college.  “Ariel and Lily are in the top 20 in the world in the junior rankings,” Gheorghe said. “They are great for their age. If they stay with it, in 5 or 6 or 10 years, they will be in the top 20 in the world.  “But decisions are coming about school, and going to college does not lead to having more time for table tennis.”
At age 16, Ariel Hsing nearly upset the Olympicsâ No. 2 seed, but she may soon have to decide whether to continue table tennis at the highest level or pursue a college education.