40-year-old Timo Boll secures medal at World Championships as Hong Kong hopes end after doubles teams fall at quarter-final stage
- Mixed doubles pair Lee Ho-ching and Ho Kwan-kit are beaten by top seeds from Taiwan while Ho and Wong Chun-ting go down in men’s doubles to South Korean opponents
- Germany’s Boll reaches the semi-finals in Houston, guaranteeing at least a bronze, for his first men’s singles medal in a decade
Germany’s 40-year-old Timo Boll won his first table tennis World Championships singles medal in a decade – with the Covid-19 pandemic playing its part – while Hong Kong hopes have ended in Houston, Texas.
Former world number one Boll beat the host nation’s Kanak Jha 4-2 in the men’s singles quarter-finals at George R. Brown Convention Hall on Saturday and with no play-off for third and fourth place, Boll is guaranteed at least a bronze by reaching the semi-finals.
The veteran player, whose last medal was a bronze at the 2011 Rotterdam Worlds when he finished in joint third place with Ma Long, will meet Sweden’s Truls Moregard for a place in the final.
Hong Kong’s two doubles pairs, meanwhile, were one step from a medal before losing in their respective quarter-finals. Men’s doubles team Wong Chung-ting and Ho Kwan-kit found their South Korean opponents Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon too strong, losing 3-1. In the mixed doubles, Ho and Lee Ho-ching suffered a 3-1 defeat by top seeds Lin Yun-Ju and Cheng I-ching, of Taiwan.
Boll’s medal was helped by the fact that his round of 16 opponent, Slovakia’s Wang Yang, was unable to make it to the table. Wang was found to be a close contact of a positive case and there was insufficient time to conduct a Covid-19 test and then wait for the result – giving Boll a walkover.
Organisers required all participants to be fully vaccinated before arriving in Houston and, unlike other major events, daily tests are not mandatory. Players are also free to walk around their hotel.
Hong Kong head coach Chan Kong-wah expressed concerns over the health control measures at the venue, saying he had warned his players to take care of their own personal hygiene.
