Mixed doubles pair Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet are putting a disappointing week behind them in Bangkok as they take part in the second back-to-back Thailand Open, hoping to qualify for next week’s HSBC World Tour finals.
Last week, the Hong Kong pair withdrew from their last-16 round match in the opening tournament after the coach of their German opponents tested Covid-19 positive on the eve of the match. Following the health guidelines provided by the Sports Institute back home, they chose to forfeit the match.
Returning to court on Tuesday after their setback, the 2018 Asian Games silver medallists, however, showed good form, thrashing Thai opponents, Nipitphon Phuangphuapet and Chasinee Korepap, 21-13, 21-6 in their opening round match.
But they will face a daunting test on Thursday with South Korean pair Ko Sung-hyun and Eom Hye-won standing in their way of progressing further into the draw.
Hong Kong shuttlers will pull out of Thailand Open if they think it’s unsafe, says coach
“Tang and Tse will have to work very hard if they want to reach the World Tour finals after last week’s incident,” said badminton head coach Tim He Yiming. “They have the quality but they will need to perform at their best in every match from now on.
“Ko is a doubles expert who used to be one of the best from South Korea. He came back from retirement after his appearance at the 2016 Rio Olympics but is still a top player.”
Tang and Tse are currently ranked 10th in the World Tour standings, and the finals will feature the top eight pairs. To restart competition under the pandemic, the Badminton World Federation has set up a health “bubble” with strict quarantine measures to stage three tournaments in a row in Bangkok after having one tournament in October.
The first two opens offer HK$7.8 million total prize money each, while the finals will be worth HK$11.7 million.
Hong Kong’s Angus Ng bolsters his World Tour finals bid
Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka-long bolstered his hopes of reaching the World Tour finals in the men’s singles following a runner-up finish in the first tournament after losing to Viktor Axelsen, of Denmark, over the weekend. It was Ng’s only appearance in the final of a Super 1000 level event and despite his defeat, his ranking has surged from ninth place before the tournament to fifth.
“The result in the first tournament has helped Ng but there is still a chance that other players may come from behind to overtake him if he does not perform this week,” said coach He. “But he has done lot of hard work in preparation for the restart of the series and we believe he should be able to deliver.”
Ng, the seventh seed, will meet Kantaphon Wangcharoen, of Thailand, in the opening round on Wednesday. He lost to the Thai player at the 2018 Hong Kong Open in their only encounter so far in the world tour. In another match, Lee Cheuk-yiu scrapped through to the second round after coming back from behind to beat Mark Caljouw, of the Netherlands, in an energy-sapping encounter. Lee won 13-21, 25-23, 22-20 after 76 minutes.
