Tokyo Olympics: Tomokazu Harimoto beats Lam Siu-hang, Wong Chun-ting loses to Chuang Chih-Yuan
- The campaign for Hong Kong’s men’s singles players ends in round three as Taiwanese and Japanese obstacles prove too much for table tennis stars
- No 1 Wong has a chance for revenge over mixed doubles exit when men’s team take on France on August 1
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Hong Kong’s men’s singles Olympic table tennis tournament has run its course after third round defeats for Wong Chun-ting and Lam Siu-hang.
Wong, the No 1 paddler in Hong Kong and world No 19, was up against the experience of Taiwanese veteran Chuang Chih-Yuan at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
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He got off to the ideal start against the 40-year-old, winning the opening game 11-9 but that proved to be a false dawn as world No 26 Chuang swiftly established his dominance to win three games on the spin – 11-5, 11-2, 11-2.
The Hongkonger offered a glimmer of a comeback in the fifth game but at 10-8 the 40-year-old took his second match point to win 4-1 and moves on to round four.
Hong Kong’s last man standing Lam Siu-hang faced one of the toughest possible challenges in the competition, hometown favourite Tomokazu Harimoto.
Japan’s world No 5 is just 18 but the prodigy has been around the upper echelon of the sport for five years already.