Top place in the group as predicted for the top seeded Hong Kong `A’ Team trio of Minnie Soo Wai Yam, Mak Tze Wing and Vaness Leung Tze Ching in the first stage of the Cadet Girls’ Team event at the Chinese Taipei Junior and Cadet Open on Wednesday 24^th July.

However, for the Hong Kong ‘B’ Team outfit comprising Leung Ka Wan, Leung Ka Sin and Lee Ka Yee, the sixth seeds, it was desperate disappointment.

They suffered just one defeat but had to settle for third position in the group and thus there was no place in the main draw; match ratio sealed their fate.

Alongside Chinese Taipei ‘D’ , the second seeds (Lee Yu-Peng, Kuo Chia-Yun, Hung Hung) and Chinese Taipei ‘C’, the fourth seeds (Tsai Yu-Chin, Chen Yi-Ju, Fang Sih-Han) they finished level with two victories apiece.

All three teams recorded three-nil wins against Singapore (Tan En Hui, Zhang Wanling) but against each other it was honours shared.

Chinese Taipei ‘C’ beat Chinese Taipei ‘D’ by three matches to one with Tsai Yu-Chin the mainstay of success.

She beat Lee Yu-Peng (9-11, 12-10, 4-11, 13-11, 12-10) and Hung Hung (11-8, 11-6, 11-8).

The one further win for Chinese Taipei ‘C’ was recorded in the doubles with Chen Yi-Ju and Fang Sih-Han overcoming Hung Hung and Kuo Chia-Yun (11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 13-110); the one success for Chinese Taipei ‘D’ was posted by Hung Hung in the first match of the fixture (11-9, 4-11, 11-8, 11-7).

A three-one success for Chinese Taipei ‘C’ but in terms of individual matches it was a 10-6 win.

Defeat for Chinese Taipei ‘D’ but on their next visit to the table, they beat Hong Kong by three matches to one with Leung Ka Wan being the player to cause the host nation outfit problems. She accounted for Lee Yu-Peng in the second match of the contest (11-9, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9).

However, that was the only success for Hong Kong.

Kuo Chia-Yun overcame Lee Ka Yee (11-6, 11-9, 11-8), the doubles went to Chinese Taipei ‘D’ with Hung Hung and Kuo Chia-Yun beating Lee Ka Yee and Leung Ka Wan (14-12, 5-11, 11-7, 11-7), leaving Lee Yu-Peng with the task of concluding matter. She duly obliged overcoming Lee Ka Yee (11-7, 11-5, 11-8) to seal victory.

The margin of victory three-one; in terms of individual matches it was 10-4 in favour of Chinese Taipei ‘D’.

Similarly, just as Chinese Taipei ‘D’ had recovered from defeat, so did Hong Kong ‘B’; they beat Chinese Taipei ‘C’ by three matches to one with Lee Ka Yee being the player in form.

She accounted for Chen Yi-Ju (11-8, 16-14, 11-6) and Fang Sih-Han (11-9, 13-15, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7), whilst partnering Leung Ka Wan to doubles success over Chen Yi-Ju and Fang Sih-Han (6-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-7).

The one win for Chinese Taipei ‘C’ was recorded by Fang Sih-Han in the opening match of the fixture; she beat Leung Ka Wan (11-9, 13-11, 11-7).

Another three-one result with the individual match result being 9-6 in favour of Hong Kong.

Thus first place in the group went to Chinese Taipei ‘D’ (16:14), second place to Chinese Taipei ‘C’ (16:15) with Hong Kong (13:16) in third spot.

Tough times for Hong Kong ‘B’ but no such problems for Hong Kong ‘A’ in the Cadet Girls’ Team event.

A three-nil win was recorded against the partnership of Chinese Taipei’s Wu Yi-Hua and Singapore’s Eunice Lim, with the same margin of victory being posted against the Chinese Taipei ‘A’ Team outfit comprising Wen Ruei-Ling, Liang Yu-Chieh and Su Pei-Ling.

Two comfortable wins but in the second fixture of the day, life was more testing with a three-one win being recorded against Chinese Taipei ‘B’ in a hard fought encounter.

Minnie Soo Wai Yam proved the mainstay of victory; she overcame both Chen Ting-Ting (7-11, 16-14, 13-11, 11-9) and Lee En-Chi (11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-6), whilst partnering Mak Tze Wing to a narrow doubles success over Lee En-Chi and Yen Lin-Chen (12-10, 11-9, 6-11, 3-11, 11-6).

The one win for Chinese Taipei ‘B’ was posted in the first match of the fixture; Lee En-Chi beat Vanness Leung Tsz Ching in five games (9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 10-12, 11-5).

Chinese Taipei ‘A’ duly secured second place in the group; they beat the pairing of Wu Yi-Hua and Eunice Lim by three matches to nil, having in their opening contest recorded a three-one success against Chinese Taipei ‘B’.

Backbone of the vital success was Su Pei-Ling; she beat both Yen Lin-Chen (11-6, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6) and Lee En-Chi (6-11, 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7), whilst partnering Liang Yu-Chieh to doubles success over Chen Ting-Ting and Lee En-Chi (9-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-9).

The one win for Chinese Taipei ‘B’ came from Lee En-Chi. In the opening match of the contest she beat Wen Ruei-Ling (11-4, 11-7, 13-11).

At the semi-final stage, Hong Kong ‘A’ plays Chinese Taipei ‘C’; Chinese Taipei ‘A’ opposes Chinese Taipei ‘D’.

Article By: ITTF - Ian Marshall

Photo By : Joseph Wu