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Success came the way of Hong Kong on the morning of Saturday 6th June at the GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour Australia Open in Tweed Heads; in the Men’s Doubles event Ho Kwan Kit and Lam Siu Hang booked their place in the final, whilst in the counterpart Women’s Doubles competition, Doo Hoi Kem and Zhu Chengzhu emulated their male colleagues.
Furthermore, in order to achieve the feat, both partnerships ousted the top seeds.
Occupying the no.4 seeded position in the competition, Ho Kwan Kit and Lam Siu Hang accounted for the top seeded Korean combination of Jung Youngsik and Jang Woojin at the semi-final stage (11-9, 11-8, 11-7), having one round earlier overcome the Australian combination of Rohan Dhooria and Erny Tsao, the no.8 seeds (11-6, 11-6, 11-3).
The first time in harness and the first time, either Ho Kwan Kit and Lam Siu Hang has ever progressed to the final in an ITTF World Tour Men’s Doubles event.
Likewise for Doo Hoi Kem and Zhu Chengzhu, it is their first time in partnership on the ITTF World Tour but with different partners the third time for Doo Hoi Kem in a Women’s Doubles semi-final, the second for Zhu Chengzhu.
Earlier this year in partnership with Lee Ho Ching, Doo Hoi Kem reached the penultimate round in Kuwait losing to Germany’s Han Ying and Irene Ivancan, before in Bremen enjoying better fortunes when overcoming Japan’s Ai Fukuhara and Misako Wakamiya.
More recently Zhu Chengzhu, likewise pairing with Lee Ho Ching, advanced to the penultimate round last week in the Philippines where they beat Korea’s Lee Eunhee and Lee Yearam.
In Tweed Heads, not seeded, Doo Hoi Kem and Zhu Chengzhu overcame Australia’s Jian Fang Lay and Sally Zhang, the no.3 seeds, in theround of the last eight (11-7, 12-10, 6-11, 11-6), before accounting for colleagues and top seeds, Lee Ho Ching and Tie Yana (9-11, 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 11-7) to reserve their place in the final.
At the final hurdle Doo Hoi Kem and Zhu Chengzhu meet Korea’s Jeon Jihee and Lee Dason; Ho Kwan Kit and Lam Siu confront India’s Harmeet Desai and Soumyajit Ghosh.
Similar to Doo Hoi Kem and Zhu Chengzhu, the Koreans upset the pecking order.
Not seeded they beat the host nation’s Michelle Beaumont and Melissa Tapper, the no.4 seeds (11-5, 11-6, 11-5), before booking their place in the final courtesy of success against colleagues Lee Eunhee and Lee Hyelin.
Also not seeded, Lee Eunhee and Lee Hyelin had beaten to Lee Zion and Yoon Hyobin, the no.2 seeds and also from Korea, one round earlier (11-8, 4-11, 11-7, 15-13).
Meanwhile, Harmeet Desai and Soumyajit Ghosh also caused a surprise.
The no.3 seeds, after beating Australia’s William Henzell and David Powell, the no.5 seeds, in the quarter-finals (11-9, 11-9, 11-13, 10-12, 11-8), they overcame the Belgian partnership of Robin Devos and Cédric Nutinck, the no.2 seeds and winners one week earlier in the Philippines, to reserve their place at the top table.
They emerged successful by the minimal margin in a hard fought penultimate round duel (14-12, 7-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9).
It is the third time that Soumyajit Ghosh and Harmeet Desai have contested an ITTF World Tour Men’s Doubles semi-final but the first time they have won.
One week ago in the Philippines they were beaten in the penultimate round by Japan’s Hokuto Koriyama and Kenta Tazoe; in Chile in 2011 by Brazil’s Eric Mancini and Cazuo Matsumoto.
The appearances in the Philippines and Chile are the only time either Harmeet Desai or Soumyajit Ghosh have reached an ITTF World Tour Men’s Doubles semi-final; for Lee Dasom in the Women’s Doubles scenario it is her first such appearance.
However, for Jeon Jihee, the situation is somewhat different.
Tweed Heads is her sixth appearance with what is now four partners. Last week in the Philippines she reached the penultimate round in partnership with Yang Haeun, the pair accounting for Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Hui-Tsun and Wang Yi-Ju to reserve their place in the final, having two years earlier in 2013 appeared in four penultimate round contests.
Partnering Lee Eunhee, the duo accounted for Japan’s Hiroko Fujii and Misako Wakamiya at the semi-final stage in Poland, having earlier in the year suffered defeat in Japan when beaten by Chinese Taipei’s Cheng I-Ching and Huang Yi-Hua.
Mixed fortunes with Lee Eunhee, it was the same in 2013 with two further partners; in Poland she emerged successful in partnership with Park Seonghye, the pair overcoming colleagues Park Youngsook and Yang Haeun. In China with Seok Hajung, it was defeat when facing China’s Feng Yalan and Guo Yan.
Article by: ITTF - Ian Marshall
Photo by: Isaac Purcell
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