Brazil's Rafael Torino was the one player to inflict a defeat on Hong Kong Photo By: Courtesy of Werner Schlager Academy
06/16/2013 2013 3rd ITTF World Hopes Week & Challenge
Represented by Chu Hoi Yuen and Lee Ka Yee, Hong Kong emerged as the convincing winners of the Team event at the ITTF Hopes Challenge staged at the Werner Schlager Academy in Schwechat, Vienna on Saturday 15th June 2013.
One boy and one girl in each team, two singles matches and if necessary a doubles to decide, there was no stopping the Hong Kong duo on the penultimate day of action.
Not one individual contest was surrendered as they accounted for the partnership of Montenegro’s Alan Jasarovic and Ivona Petrie in the quarter-finals, followed by success in a similar manner in opposition to Thailand’s Yanapong Panagitgun in the penultimate round.
A place in the final booked, it was the same result in the gold medal duel, a two-nil win was posted against the United States duo of Victor Lee and Crystal Wang.
One Match Surrendered
In fact in the whole tournament just one individual match was surrendered; that came on the first day of competition, Friday 14th June, against Brazil when Chu Hoi Yuen was beaten by Rafael Torino.
However, Lee Ka Yee overcame Karin Tsumura (11-6, 11-9, 11-6) in the girls’ match before teaming with Chu Hoi Yuen to win the doubles against Rafael Torino and Karin Tsumura (11-6, 11-8, 11-3).
Americans Untroubled
Similarly, on the second day of competition, the Americans were untroubled.
At the quarter-final stage Victor Liu and Crystal Wang beat Singapore’s Chua Shao Han Josh and Koh Kai Xin Pearlyn by two matches to nil, before recording the same margin of victory against Hungary’s Patrick Juhasz and Marta Nagypal to book their place in the final.
Lee Ka Yee Impressed
“I have to say that the Hong Kong girl, Lee Ka Yee, had a strong showing in the afternoon”, said Mikael Andersson, ITTF Senior Consultant - Development, Education and Training, the man directing proceedings at the ITTF Hopes Week. “She was down two games to one down against, who I feel so far has been the best player here Crystal Wang, but turned it around and won a tight opening match in the final.”
Lee Ka Yee eventually succeeded by the very narrowest of margins to secure a five games victory (11-9, 8-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9) to set Hong Kong on the road to victory. Chu Hoi Yuen duly completed the task in hand by recovering from an opening game deficit to beat Victor Liu in four games (12-14, 11-6, 13-11, 11-6).
Excelled in Latter Stages
“Chu Hoi Yuen has on the other been a little bit up and down in practice and also dropped one match in the group stage in singles”, continued Mikael Andersson, the match in question being against Rafael Torino.
“However in the semi-final and final he really came to court with a great attitude and showed great form”, added Mikael Andersson. “Crucial in the deciding singles versus Victor Lee was his comeback in third game where he was at one point trailing 4-8 and had two game points against before clinching the win 13-11 and later the match three-one.”
It was a quite eye-catching display by the Hong Kong duo.
New Dimension
“I like how the team event has brought some new dimensions to the competition part of this event”, said Dejan Papic, the ITTF Chief evaluator of the Hopes Programme. “You can see that the young players are getting used to tough competition almost in front of your eyes.”
Singles Events
Now attention focuses on the Boys’ and Girls’ Singles events where matters have progressed to the quarter-final stage; those who were prominent in the team event all vying for individual honours.
In the Boys’ Singles competition, Victor Liu has the opportunity to gain revenge over Chu Hoi Yuen, the meet in the round of the last eight; whilst in the remaining matches Thailand’s Yanapong Panagitgun faces Brazil’s Rafael Torino, New Zealand’s Zhao Yang Lun opposes Sweden’s Truls Moregard and Portugal’s Tiago Santos Li confronts Singapore’s Chua Shao Han Josh.
