【Hong Kong Badminton Open】Chang Tak Ching/Yeung Ming Nok defeated Chinese Taipei Pair, 8 Hong Kong Players Promoted to Main Draw

“YONEX-SUNRISE Hong Kong Open Badminton Championships 2019” officially kicked off at the Hong Kong Coliseum today (Nov 12). After the qualifying round in the morning, 6 Hong Kong Teams (3 Singles, 3 Doubles) promoted to the main draw, including Men’s Doubles duo Chang Tak Ching/Yeung Ming Nok, Women’s Singles Cheung Ying Mei. In Men’s Singles qualifying round, Chan Yin Chak lost to his teammate Wong Wing Ki.

Chang Tak Ching retired from the Mixed Doubles event, partnered up with Yeung Ming Nok in Men’s Doubles qualifying as a reserve player. They faced Chang Ko-Chi/Lu Chia Pin of Chinese Taipei and was chased by the opponent under the lead. The duo then scored 3 points in a row and took the first game 21:18. The second game, both teams traded the lead. Hong Kong team held on to their positions until the end with 21:17 and entered the main draw.

Chang Tak Ching and Yeung Ming Nok have been focusing on Mixed Doubles training recently. ‘Our Men’s Doubles world ranking was relatively low. There are only the Macau and Hong Kong Open in our match schedule this year, so we need to readjust our rhythm of game.’ Yang thought playing on home turf is the key to today’s victory. He said, ‘We have beat them in Macau Open but it was a tough match. With the support of the home fans, we were excited and less stressful than in Macau. We are also more familiar to the venue and wind circulation than our opponent.” As the two haven’t train together very often, they don’t have a high expectation for the tournament and just want to try their best.

Women’s Singles Hong Kong player Cheung Ying Mei fought a 71 minute 3-game battle with Lyanny Alessandra Mainaky of Indonesia. She is happy to advance to the main draw and said, ‘The first game was smooth and I won relatively easily. The second game was tied down because of the downwind and my opponent got the control of the game. In the deciding game, I didn’t think too much, just tried my best at every single point.’

The most exciting match in the morning was between Chan Yin Chak and his teammate Wong Wing Ki. 20-year-old Chan started with a 5-point advantage. However, Wong with more experience played calmly and came back with a 22:20 win. In the second game, Chan took the lead again but he couldn’t hold on to it and again lost to Wong 21:19. Wong later eliminated the Danish player Victor Svendsen and entered the main draw.

Team Hong Kong China Qualification Result: