Teenage paddler Ho Kwan-kit gets dream start on professional tour
The 17-year-old is first player without a ranking to win men's singles title - the Philippines Open
Youngster Ho Kwan-kit had a dream start on the professional tour as he returned home on Monday from a fairy-tale success in the Philippines Open.
The 17-year-old became the first table tennis player to win an ITTF World Tour men's singles title without a world ranking when he stunned top seed Zhan Jian of Singapore after six games in the final at Subic Bay over the weekend.
The last and only Hong Kong player to lift a men's open singles title was Jiang Tianyi when he made the breakthrough in the 2008 Brazil Open, but a junior was never expected to become the second.
At the beginning of the competition, it did not even enter my head I could win
"The competition was very tough and I did not have any expectations coming into the event, which helped. I had a lot of luck to win", said Ho, who only switched to full-time training in Hong Kong this year after an extensive stint of preparation on the mainland.
"At the beginning of the competition, it did not even enter my head I could win.
"My plan was just to try my best in each match and see what happened."
Ho also took part in the under-21 event in the Philippines, but failed to impress. He now eyes the World Junior Championships in Shanghai.
