Ding Ning, one of China's youngest table tennis stars, said she hoped to win an Olympic gold medal, most likely after the 2008 Games.

"My dream is to win a gold metal at the Olympics," said the 18-year-old Ding on Thursday after beating German player Kristin Silbereisen 4-0 on the second day of the 2008 ITTF China Open.

"I come to the China Open for more experience of top-level matches," she said.

Ding Ning jumped to fame when she defeated world top players Guo Yue and Li Xiaoxia in last year's China City Games.

"Ding Ning is a promising player with much potential, but there's room for improvement," said Ding's coach Yan Sen, former Olympic men's doubles champion. "She will be a main force of the Chinese team sooner or later."

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2008)