Top Hong Kong, China MIXED DOUBLES pair Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet faced a daunting test in their opening match despite overcoming Wang Chi Lin and Hsu Yin Hui of Chinese Taipei. Cheered by exciting home fans, they needed to shrug off a shaky start in both games before succeeding in reaching the second round. In the MEN’S SINGLES, Lee Cheuk Yiu also made it to the round of 16 after taking a sweet revenge over Lu Guang Zu of China, reverting the result when Lee lost to the mainlander in the semifinals of last month’s Korea Open. However, another Hong Kong, China player Ng Ka Long Angus was beaten by two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen before exiting from the first round.
Shortly after competing in the Paris Olympics, Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet took part in the Super 750 Japan Open where they captured a silver medal. Opting out the following Korea and Taipei Opens, they put their focus back into the home tournament, which should possibly be their last appearance as a pair in front of the home crowd. The pair has already said they would be eager to perform in their ‘Last Dance’ in Hong Kong, did their best in every match to give something back to the fans.
Last year’s silver medal winners, Tang/Tse pair is seeded third in the tournament with Wang Chi Lin and Hsu Yin Hui of Chinese Taipei their first hurdle. Wang is the two-time Olympic MEN’S DOUBLES champion with now retired partner Lee Yang. He has reached also the MEN’S DOUBLES second round with new partner Chiu Hsiang Chieh in Hong Kong. It was a close rally in the opening game between the two pairs with the Chinese Taipei duo building a slender advantage when leading 20-19 in closing stages. But cheered by a strong home crowd, the Hong Kong, China pair hanged in there, taking three points in a row to win the first game 22-20 after deuce.
The home pair also struggled in the opening stages of the second game until they achieved a slender 11-10 lead into the second half. But from there, Tang/Tse pair made all the way through with a 21-17 win to wrap up the match. They will now face Yap Roy King and Valeree Siow of Malaysia for a quarterfinal place.
The Hong Kong, China pair said it was not easy to come from behind to win both games against the tough opponents. “This was our first match in the tournament and therefore we still lack some speed and good connection between us,” they said. “The wind current was also another problem. It was not until the half-way mark that we changed the tactics and got back to the game.”
Both players said result would not be their top concern but wanted to play some good badminton to treat the home fans who have been supporting them over these years. “This should possibly be our last Hong Kong Open and of course we will definitely miss it. We do want to stay in the tournament as long as possible.”
Both players thanked the support of the fans while Tse also urged the fans to be more passionate when cheering for the home players.
In another match, their compatriots Lee Chun Hei Reginald and Ng Tsz Yau also reached the second round after beating Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien of Malaysia in three games 21-16, 19-21, 21-14. They will now meet another Malaysian pair, fourth seeds Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei for a place in the quarterfinals.
There were also tough battles in the MEN’S SINGLES. World number 15 Lee Cheuk Yiu lost to world number 16 Lu Guang Zu of China in last month’s Korea Open semifinals as Lu became the eventual champion. But Lee reverted the result as they met again in Hong Kong.
With strong support from the fans at the Hong Kong Coliseum, Lee made a strong start in their first round match with a 11-5 lead midway through the first game. The home favourite then extended it to 17-11 when Lu fought back fiercely to just a two-point difference of trailing 18-20. Fortunately, Lee dug deep to safeguard the small advantage before taking the game 21-18. The second game was also a close rally with score locked at 19-all in the final stages. But cheered by the strong home crowd, Lee took the next two points in a row to wrap up the match and will face Leong Jun Hao of Malaysia to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
Lee said he had learned a lot from the Paris Olympics when he exited after the group stage. “Tonight, I didn’t scream during the match like I did before, just held my fist tight when feeling excited as I have become more mature after the Paris Olympics. I have set a higher standard on my mental condition and want to keep myself calm during any competition.”
He also said he put his two palms together at the end of the match also because he wanted to maintain a calm and peaceful condition without becoming over excited. He also thanked the home crowd for the support they gave him throughout the match, forcing him to put up 120 per cent effort.
Asked his target of the Hong Kong Open, Lee said he had never changed his winning objective – to capture the gold medal in every single competition. “I came here to win, not just play a good game. If I didn’t play well, I would make strong reflections so that I can reach my goal of winning the gold medal next time.”
It was a difficult night for another Hong Kong, China player Ng Ka Long Angus who had to take on Paris Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. The Danes was in total control of the match from the very beginning before claiming a two-game 21-11, 21-12 victory.
World number 22 Ng said although he had lost the match, he still enjoyed the process. “He played many quality shots that I found it difficult to handle. As it’s not easy to have such an opportunity of playing against the Olympic champion at home, I tried to enjoy more of the game.”
Ng said he threw everything in the second game trying to turn the table when he was far behind Axelsen. “I did some good net shots during that period, hopefully I have learned from it and make improvement for future. I also played against world number one Shi Yu Qi of China in the Korea Open and that was another good learning opportunity also.”
Viktor Axelsen, who surprisingly lost in the opening round in Hong Kong last year, was delighted with his return. “It’s so amazing to be back here and a big pleasure to play Ka Long on his home soil. I hope I can do very good this year, much better than last year,” he said.
Elsewhere, world number 100 Chan Yin Chak reached the Hong Kong Open main draw for the first time as he faced Leong Jun Hao of Malaysia, the world number 29. The last time they met was at the 2017 Junior Dutch Open when Chan won after three tough games. After an easy 21-4 win in the first game, Chan could not continue his feat in the second game, apparently being affected by the wind currents after changing the court. Leong won the second 21-11 to level the overall score, forcing the match to be decided by a tie breaker game. Chan was still in control of the rubber tie with a half time 11-6 lead before extending it to 17-15. But that was the best the home player could offer as Leong took all next six points to seal the victory.
Chan said after the match that he still needed to learn a lot, especially in keeping focused in crucial stages and minimising errors. He also said the wind current had affected the game. “I won the first game easily more or less because of the help of the current and that’s why I didn’t get over excited. In the crucial third game, I was in the other side of the court which made things difficult, especially in the closing stages when we competed for the victory.”
