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Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem Fly the Flag
Success against the odds for one partnership, defeat for another against expectations; that was the scenario for Hong Kong in the fourth round of the Mixed Doubles event on the morning of Wednesday 29th April at the QOROS 2015 World Championships in Suzhou.
Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem, the no.10 seeds, caused a major upset by beating Japan’s Koki Niwa and Sayaka Hirano, the no.4 seeds in four straight games (11-7, 11-8, 11-5, 11-6); the contest coming to a conclusion some 15 minutes prior to their Hong Kong colleagues, Jiang Tianyi and Lee Ho Ching, the no.2 seeds, suffering an unexpected defeat.
They were beaten in five games by the German partnership of Steffen Mengel and Petrissa Solja, the no.14 seeds (7-11, 13-11, 14-12, 11-5, 11-7).
“We were well prepared today”, said Doo Hoi Kem. “The last time we played them we lost in straight games; that was at the Asian Championships in Busan in 2013.”
The contest in Busan is approaching two years ago, and in younger players times can change very quickly, as Wong Chun Ting explained.
“Simply two years ago we were not good enough and of course now we play with a different type of ball, I think that might have helped us”, explained Wong Chun Ting. “In that period of time, both Doo Hoi Kem and myself have developed as players; after Busan we did stop playing together but now we are partners again and we have trust in each other.”
Certainly there has been progress, a fact illustrated by recent results on the GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour; Doo Hoi Kem won the Under 21 Women’s Singles event in Kuwait, Wong Chun Ting was the Men’s Singles runner up in Spain.
“I think today when we played, we played with more spin early in the rally”, added Doo Hoi Kem. “Also, Wong Chun Ting plays with a great deal of power; that really helps me.”
Article by: ITTF- Ian Marshall
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