Eventually after a gruelling contest lasting three hours and ten minutes, Hong Kong, the third seeds, beat Germany, the fourth seeds, at the quarter-final stage of the Girls’ Team event at the Wisdom 2014 World Junior Championships on Tuesday 2^nd December.

Heroine of the hour for Hong Kong was Minnie Soo Wai Yam.

The 16 year old beat both Nina Mittelham (11-9, 13-11, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7) and Chantal Mantz (11-5, 11-7, 14-12); the two players who had contested the final of the Junior Girls’ Singles event at the Sterilgarda European Youth Championships in Riva del Garda earlier this year.

Minnie Soo Wai Yam won the first and last matches of the engagement; interspersed in the third contest of the fixture, Lam Yee Lok accounted for Wan Yuan (12-10, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5). The wins for Germany both came at the expense of Doo Hoi Kem.

Listed at no.1 on the current Under 18 Girls’ World Rankings, Doo Hoi Kem was beaten by Chantal Mantz (11-9, 11-9, 11-4) and by Nina Mittelham (11-9, 0-11, 11-3, 11-7).

Felt No Pressure

“I felt no pressure, Nina is higher ranked than me, so I was able to play with freedom, I just tried my best”, said Minnie Soo Wai Yam. “I won the first two games but from the start of the third game she became more aggressive and I think I played too passively.”

However, in the third game Minnie Soo Wai Yam led 8-7, the stage at which Nina Mittelham hit her playing hand on the table when attempting a return; a total accident but it demanded a ten minute injury break.

“After the break I was confused, I lost my concentration, I was slow and I made one very easy mistake”, added Minnie Soo Wai Yam, who when playing a forehand top spin against a high return had directed the ball off the end of the table.

Start Again

“I became nervous, at the start of the fifth game I said to myself that I must start all over again; I won the first five points but then lost the next five”, reflected Minnie Soo Wai Yam. “From that point onwards I tried not to think about winning or losing; just focus on the tactics and winning one point at a time, I think mentally I handled the situation quite well.”

The win recorded by Minnie Soo Wai Yam gave Hong Kong the perfect start, the win over Chantal Mantz gave Hong Kong the perfect finish.

Positive Approach

“It was the same as in the first match against Nina, it was important that I was aggressive”, explained Minnie Soo Wai Yam, who won the first two games but then trailed 5-10 in the third before winning five points in a row to level and then eventually succeed.

“I wanted to win so much that I was becoming tense; when I was losing 5-10, I said to myself that I had the skills to win because I had won the first two games”, added Minnie Soo Wai Yam. “I focused on flicking the return of service, attacking first and not blocking the ball but I think most important was that I believed in myself, I believed I could win.”

Strong Desire

Minnie Soo Wai Yam duly won and secured victory for Hong Kong, they were two vital wins; equally the success recorded by Lam Yee Lok over Wan Yuan, who had represented Germany at the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, was vital.

“I had a strong desire to win and I was prepared for the match but I’d never played Wan Yuan before”, reflected Lam Yee Lok. “Her service is very special; it takes some time to adapt to it.”

Continually Wan Yuan uses a high thrown service from the backhand, the side of the racket on which she uses the reversed smooth rubber, the forehand is short pimples.

Calm and Patient

“I tried to keep calm and to be patient”, added Lam Yee Lok. “Also because of the short pimples on the forehand I directed my attacks more to her backhand.”

Success for Minnie Soo Wai Yam and Lam Yee Lok but bitter disappointment for Doo Hoi Kem who was last seen jumping into the nearby fountain in despair!

China Awaits

At the semi-final stage, Hong Kong meets China.

Irrepressible, the host nation posted a three-two win against France.

The player to give China the perfect start was Wang Manyu; she beat Pauline Chasselin in three straight games (11-9, 11-8, 11-6).

First Match

“It’s not unusual for me to play the first match, so I was not too concerned”, Wang Manyu who hails from Heilongjang Province in the north of China, the same province as Kong Linghui.

“Pauline played at a higher level than I expected”, added Wang Manyu. “I’d never played against her before so I didn’t know quite what to expect; after I won the first game I felt more calm and more confident.”

Comprehensive Wins

An impressive win in the opening contest for Wang Manyu, in the two ensuing duels it was the same for Liu Gaoyang and Chen Xingtong.

Liu Gaoyang beat Marie Migot (11-5, 11-4, 11-5), Chen Xingtong overcame Audrey Zarif (11-2, 11-6, 11-4).

Article by: ITTF - Ian Marshall

Photo by: Rémy Gros