BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Ai Fukuhara regained her confidence on day three of the Olympic team table tennis tournament as Japan was gearing up for more tough fights for a bronze medal.

　　Japan beat Austria 3-0 in the first round of the bronze playoff, showing a spirited comeback from a 3-0 defeat to South Korea on the previous day when 12th-ranked Fukuhara lost to two lower-ranked opponents, both in the first sets.

　　"I lost several matches in the last two days, which did affect my confidence," Fukuhara told reporters. "But winning the opening match today has helped me get back some of the confidence."

　　"I finally figured out how to play at the Olympics, but I can't tell you my secret," the 19-year-old said, with a big smile on her face.

　　Fukuhara lost to 26th-ranked Dang Ye-seo of South Korea 11-8, 11-6, 11-5 late Thursday, after she was extended to five games by 33rd-ranked Shen Yanfei of Spain, losing 11-7, 6-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-3.

　　Fukuhara, who is expected to help Japan end its Olympic table tennis medal drought, said she was so nervous that her body stiffened when playing Shen. She also admitted that she gave herself too much pressure.

　　"The coach had a meeting with us yesterday but didn't talk to me in particular. Today's success is due to a good mental state and full preparations," she said.

　　The Japanese star, with huge fan base in both China and Japan, also said that she was often cheered on by Chinese spectators, which made her very excited.

　　Japanese women's coach Kinji Kondo said "we had a chat last night and talked about the fact that this is the Olympic Games, so we need to demonstrate our best points."

　　"Winning the first set (against Austria's Liu Jia) was very important. Ai was able to display her specialties, such as fast forehand and persistence," he said.

　　Japan will play higher-ranked Hong Kong of China in the bronze second round if China's national team beats Hong Kong in the semifinals.

　　Facing Hong Kong, the two-time runner-up at the team worlds, Kondo said "we have come this far, and we will stay calm and fight till the end."