Hong Kong squash No 1 Ho Tze-lok cracks world’s top 30 with surprise run to Cleveland Classic semis
- ‘No one, not even myself, expected me to make the semi-finals,’ says Ho, who beat world No 8 Sarah-Jane Perry of Britain in the last 16
- The 27-year-old Hongkonger also now among top four Asians in the world rankings, in all-important race for Asian Games singles seedings
Hong Kong’s No 1 squash player Ho Tze-lok had to change her flights back home twice after a surprising run to a first silver-level career semi-final at the Cleveland Classic last weekend.
Ho’s performance at the event moved her up to 28th in the world rankings, which were updated on Monday – the same day she finally arrived back in the city.
“No one, not even myself, expected me to make the semis,” said the 27-year-old Ho, whose previous best at a silver event was the last 16. There are four levels of events on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) world tour – platinum, gold, silver, and bronze.
“They expected me to go home after the second round match against Sarah-Jane Perry [the world No 8], but I won, then changed flight to the next day, which was fortunate because there was no flight that day, and I won the next round as well.”
The PSA called it “the biggest shock of round two” AT the Cleveland Classic when Ho, then ranked 36TH, upset the fourth seed and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Perry in the last 16, winning in five sets 11-3, 7-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7 in 51 minutes.
Ho’s “amazing journey” continued in the US with a quarter-final victory over world No 14 Tesni Evans of Wales in three sets – 11-9, 11-6, 11-2 – before she fell to the eventual winner Georgina Kennedy 11-3, 11-2, 11-3.
“It’s so amazing to reach my highest [level], in both results and ranking, at the right time,” said the Hongkonger, who hopes to land a spot as one of the top four seeds for the Hangzhou Asian Games in September.
Before Cleveland, Ho had been in New York for a platinum event – the J.P Morgan Tournament of Champions – where she reached the last 16.
Ho, who began her career in 2016, attributes her recent success to the last six months of training, which she has used to improve her footwork.
“My pace on court is apparently faster than before,” she said. “Perry is the highest-ranked player that I have beaten in my career, it is a huge boost.”
The semi-finals in Cleveland also propelled Ho up to fourth in the latest Asia rankings, giving her a strong position in the race for Asian Games singles seeding.
Two Malaysians – No 20 Sivasangari Subramaniam, and No 27 Rachel Arnold – as well as Japan’s No 23 Satomi Watanabe, are ahead of Ho in the world rankings.
“My main goal for 2023 is to secure a top four seeding in the Asian Games,” she said. “It’s a good start, and hopefully I’ll be able to break into the top 20 in the near future.”
Ho is set to compete in six more ranking tournaments before the season ends in early June.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong has sent a team of eight players to Chennai, India, for the 21st Asian Junior Squash Team Championships, which begin on Wednesday with pool matches.
The men’s team are in a group with Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Kuwait, and South Korea, and the women’s team are grouped with hosts India, Singapore, and Sri Lanka, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals.
