Experience combined with youth bears fruit; if that is so, then the ladies from Hong Kong must be realistic medal contenders at the forthcoming World Team Classic.

They are the fifth seeds for the tournament to be staged in Guangzhou, China, from Thursday 28th to Sunday 31st March 2013; that seeding does not suggest a podium finish but the facts are different and they may well have a formula for success.

Jiang Huajun and Tie Yana combine to form the wisdom of experience; Lee Ho Ching, Ng Wing Nam and Guan Meng Yuan provide the exuberance of youth.

Currently listed at no.17 on the Women’s World Rankings, Jiang Huajun is 28 years old, whilst Tie Yana is five years her elder.

Not present on the international scene for the first two months of the year, Tie Yana has fallen to no.19 in the global order, having once been as high as no.3; she reached that exalted height in July 2006.

The ranking is a mark of the ability of the player with surely the most fluent backhand top spin stroke on planet earth.

Conversely, Lee Ho Ching and Ng Wing Nam are both 20 years old; Guan Meng Yuan is 21 years of age.

However, throughout the present century, the spearhead of the Hong Kong Women’s Team has been Tie Yana.

She played a pivotal role in securing podium finishes at the LIEBHERR World Championships in 2004 in Doha and in 2006 in Bremen, where they were the silver medallists.

On both occasions Hong Kong was the major threat to Chinese dominance but at 2008 at the Beijing Olympic Games that mantle was transferred to Singapore.

In China’s capital city, the south east Asian city state clinched the silver medal in the Women’s Team event and then, two years later in Moscow, stunned the pundits of the sport by winning the Corbillon Cup at the LIEBHERR World Team Championships.

Nevertheless, the performances of the Hong Kong Women’s Team have been most worthy despite being overtaken by Singapore; bronze medals at the Evergrande Real Estate World Team Championships in 2008 and at the more recent LIEBHERR World Team Championships, just under one year ago in Dortmund, are most creditable finishes.

It is the result in Dortmund that is the one note, a most worthy result with the team selected very much in the vogue of the outfit chosen for Guangzhou; the only difference is that Yu Kwok See was on the team sheet in Germany, not Guang Meng Yuan.

Previously, the Hong Kong Women’s Teams had been experience heaped upon experience with the likes of Lin Ling, Lau Sui Fei and Zhang Rui being members of a very impressive squad.

Now there is an impressive squad being formed; an impressive squad based on developing from within, not importing neighbouring China. The squad is based on youth and there are several players waiting in the wings.

Doo Hoi Kem is a name to note as is that of Lam Yee Lok and Minnie Soo Wai Yam.

The latter two have both impressed on the ITTF Junior Circuit this year, Lam Yee Lok currently occupies first place on the Junior Girls’ Standings having won in Italy, whilst Minnie Soo Wai Yam won the Cadet Girls’ Singles titles in both Italy and France.

They still have some ground to cover in order to reach the level of Tie Yana and Jiang Huajun, who during their careers have both held top ten World rankings and have ITTF World Tour Women’s Singles titles to their credit.

However, Lee Ho Ching and Ng Wing Nam are gradually bridging the gap; they are moving from promising junior to worthy senior.

Notably as 2012 came to a close, Lee Ho Ching was in outstanding form; the young lady who had impressed on the ITTF Junior Circuit by winning the Junior Girls’ Singles titles in both Taiyuan in 2008 and two years later on the Spanish Costa Brava in Platja d’Aro, more than impressed on the ITTF World Tour.

In November she reached the quarter-finals of the Women’s Singles event in both Germany and Poland.

Similarly, at the start of 2013, both Lee Ho Ching and Ng Wing Nam impressed.

At the ITTF World Tour Spanish Open, Ng Wing Nam reached Women’s Singles quarter-finals, losing to Jiang Huajun, the eventual winner; whilst Lee Ho Ching advanced one round further. She departed at the semi-final stage beaten by the host nation’s Shen Yanfei.

Youth and ever improving youth, a formula for Hong Kong success in Guangzhou?

There is plenty of evidence; a bronze medal in Dortmund, that’s overwhelming evidence.

Article by: ITTF - Ian Marshall