Hong Kong’s world No 5 pair, Wong Chun-ting and Doo Hoi-kem, have been drawn in a “group of death” in the mixed doubles of the WTT Finals to be played in the city this week.
With only the top two teams progressing to the semi-finals, the top city pair will contend with Olympic champions Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, world No 1 Chinese pair Lin Shidong and Kuai Man, and India’s world No 9 combination Manush Shah and Diya Chitale.
Wong, Hong Kong’s top male player, said he and his partner would “accept and make peace with what has come”.
“At least in a group format we are guaranteed three matches at home,” he said.
The WTT Finals, running from Wednesday to Sunday at the Hong Kong Coliseum, will feature the season’s best performers – 16 men and 16 women in singles, and eight pairs in mixed doubles.
Tony Yue Kwok-leung, the president of the Hong Kong China Table Tennis Association, said the WTT Finals represented “the trophy we have been waiting for” as the city welcomes its first top-tier event since the Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour Hang Seng Hong Kong Open at Queen Elizabeth Stadium.
