LI-NING Hong Kong Open Badminton Championships raised the curtain at the Hong Kong Coliseum today (10th) with home players kicking off a flying start. MEN’S SINGLES Chan Yin Chak made it two wins in a row in the qualifiers and reached his first main draw in the Hong Kong Open, same as fellow teammates Saloni Samirbhai Mehta and Liang Ka Wing in the WOMEN’S SINGLES. In the MIXED DOUBLES, newly formed combination Deng Chi Fai and Leung Yuet Yee also reached the first round after joining hands together in less than 24 hours. “I now really look forward to the tournament as it will be the first time we play in the main round at the Coliseum,” Deng said.
Ranked 100th in the MEN’S SINGLES, Chan is no stranger to the Hong Kong Open but all failed in the qualifiers in previous occasions. He reached the last round of the qualifiers last year but fell short against Su Li Yang of Chinese Taipei, who pulled off a surprise by making all the way to the quarterfinals.
But it all changed this time. Chan got through his first hurdle in the qualifiers after beating Jhonatan Wu Zheng of Venezuela in two identical 21-5 games before overcoming Manav Choudhary, a 299th ranked player from India, in two games 21-6, 21-10. Chan will now meet Leong Jun Hao of Malaysia in the main draw.
In the MIXED DOUBLES, Deng/Leung pair took three games to beat another Hong Kong, China combination Chow Hin Long and Leung Sze Lok in the qualifiers following a 21-18, 14-21, 21-17 victory. Said Leung after her win, “We did not expect to play because of our low ranking and it was not until yesterday that we were informed to start in the qualifiers because of withdrawals of some other pairs.
“I used to play more in the WOMEN’S DOUBLES and when Deng played as a junior, his MIXED DOUBLES partner was also not me. Perhaps that’s why we didn’t have too much pressure and were able to perform to our best with an open mind. But I would also say my partner Deng did a very good job today.” Deng said he now also had a strong expectation as it will be his first appearance in the main draw at the Coliseum where they will meet Malaysia’s Yap Roy King and Valeree Siow.
There was also good news in the WOMEN’ SINGLES qualifiers. 22-year-old Mehta, who ranks 184 in the world, cruised to a 21-13, 21-5 victory over Yevheniia Kantemyr of Ukraine and will now meet Hong Kong, China number one Lo Sin Yan Happy who just completed in the Paris Olympics. In another all-Hong Kong affair, Liang Ka Wing narrowly beat Yeung Sum Yee 21-18, 16-21, 23-21 in the qualifiers to reach the first round. Her opponent will be Thuzar Thet Htar of Myanmar.
There were some mixed results for Hung Kuei Chun who played in the qualifiers in both the MEN’S DOUBLES AND MIXED DOUBLES. His combination with Tsang Hiu Yan fell short against Liu Kuang Heng and Jheng Yu Chieh of Chinese Taipei following a 2-0 defeat in the MIXED DOUBLES but after a short break, Hung came back again and this time he and partner Lui Chun Wai made no mistake by beating Vaibhaav. and Ashith Suyra of India 2-0 in the MEN’S DOUBLES. They will now take on Wang Chi Lin and his new partner Chiu Hsiang Chieh of Chinese Taipei in the first round. Wang is the Paris Olympics gold medal winner of the event with now retired Lee Yang. Another Hong Kong, China pair, Chow Hin Long and Deng Chi Fai lost to Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Han of Chinese Taipei 2-0 and missed the main draw.
Yeung Shing Choi, who also started in two events, failed in the MIXED DOUBLES qualifiers when he and partner Lui Lok Lok were beaten by a Chinese Taipei pair 2-0 (18-21, 12-21). They were once leading 13-5 in the first game but could not maintain the momentum till the end as Yeung was disappointed with the result. “We could not take the crucial points in the first game while in the second game the wind current was difficult to handle. The opponents also speeded up in their second game but we could not isolate them in front of the net. There was no problem with our game plan but unfortunately our skill level was not up to the required standard.” Yeung will also start with Law Cheuk Him in the main round of the MEN’S DOUBLES.
Although it was only the opening day of the tournament, there was no lack of support from the spectators. Lui Lok Lok was in great thankful for the home fans, saying, “Their support has made me more eager to win but unfortunately it did not materialize. I hope not to let the fans down in the next match and give them a victory to cheer,” she said. Yeung and Lui will start in the afternoon again with Law Cheuk Him and Tsang Hiu Yan in the MEN’S and WOMEN’S DOUBLES respectively. Both said they hoped to deliver and not let the fans down again.
