The pressures on table tennis players at the world championships in Suzhou are intense, but Nepalese player Nabita Shrestha has the added burden of worrying about her family after the devastating earthquake struck her country on Saturday.

"It's really tough to play here knowing that an earthquake just happened at home. It has affected me, of course, because now there are 72 hours of critical conditions," Shrestha told China Daily on Sunday on the sidelines of the women's singles qualification round at the 2015 World Table Tennis Championships.

The death toll from the magnitude-7.9 earthquake, which struck near Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, rose to more than 3,700 on Monday.

Learning the news on Saturday night, Shrestha managed to shrug off her concerns and score two wins in a row on Sunday and Monday in her qualification group.

"I just try to stop thinking. If I keep thinking about what happened during a game, I can't go for it nor can I manage to change what has happened. So I just think about my game and maintain my focus, although it's hard," said the 23-year-old.

Nepal sent six players, three men and three women, to the tournament. Comforting news is that their family members are believed to be safe, which is a great relief for Shrestha and her teammates.

"Still, some people I know are hurt, and some friends are dead. It's very painful," said female player Elina Maharjan, who lost her opening game on Sunday afternoon.

Thomas Weikert, president of the International Table Tennis Federation, offered sympathy to the Nepalese players and pledged to provide support if needed.

"It's really a tragic situation," said Weikert. "I talked with the Nepalese girls competing today to send my sympathy.

Weikert said the Nepalese table tennis players "are in the hearts" of the ITTF family. "We will look to see how the ITTF can help. Nepal is not a rich country and lacks equipment. We will definitely see how we can give support."

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn