Lee Ho-ching smiling again as Hong Kong stun China in mixed doubles
Debutant Lee Ho-ching cast off the disappointment of losing in the table tennis team event by partnering Jiang Tianyi in the mixed doubles to stun the top seeds from China in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Their thrilling 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-8) victory over Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng at Suwon Gymnasium not only earned them a semi-final berth but also at least a bronze medal because there is no third place play-off. It will be Hong Kong's first table tennis medal in Incheon.
They now take on Kim Min-seok and Jeon Ji-hee, of South Korea, for a place in the final. The Koreans beat Koki Niwa and Sayaka Hirano, of Japan, 3-2.
Mixed doubles is also our target as we won a medal there in Guangzhou four years ago
"They can go a step farther to reach the final if they play the same way," said head coach Chan Kong-wah. "Mixed doubles is also our target as we won a medal there in Guangzhou four years ago."
But in another quarter-final, Cheung Yuk and Jiang Huajun, silver medallists in Guangzhou, lost 3-2 to Japanese pair Seiya Kishikawa and Ai Fukuhara.
"The defeat in the women's team quarter-finals was a disaster for us as it was our medal target and we were all shattered by the result," said 21-year-old Lee, making her Asian Games debut.
"But fortunately the coaches were quick to help us regain confidence for the individual events and reminded us of the importance of securing a medal for Hong Kong.
"The mainlanders are strong and despite the 3-0 score, we had to dig deep for the victory. We were definitely the underdogs and the pressure was on their side, especially when approaching the big points in each game. Nonetheless, it's a great achievement to eliminate the top seed and gain a medal in my Asian Games debut."
Lee said she had never won an individual medal at such a level. She was twice a member of the women's team who clinched a bronze medal at the World Championships, including the latest one in Tokyo in May.
Lee then went on to win her doubles second-round match with partner Ng Wing-nam, a 3-0 victory over Thai opponents.
Tie Yana and Doo Hoi-kem lost to Kim Jong and Kim Hye-song of North Korea 3-1.
In the men's doubles, Tang Peng and Wong Chun-ting went through to the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Kim Dong-hyun and Jeong Sang-eun, of South Korea, but Jiang Tianyi and Leung Chu-yan went out.
