Hong Kong's men's doubles team are sure of their first-ever World Championships medal after Ko Lai-chak and Li Ching reached the semi-finals in the Croatian capital yesterday.
With the mixed doubles pair of Tie Yana and Ko also reaching the semifinals, Hong Kong were guaranteed at least two bronze medals - equalling the performance at the 2005 championships when they won bronze in women's singles and doubles.
'Our target was to reach the last four for at least a bronze medal in the doubles and we are there now,' said Hong Kong men's team coach Chan Kong-wah. 'The schedule was very tight, and it was good to see both Ko and Li hang in there.'
Ko and Li had to play two matches with only a 25-minute interval to reach the last four. They ousted Jens Lundqvist and Robert Svensson of Sweden 4-1 in the last 16, then saw off Al Karakasevic and Slobodan Grujic of Serbia 4-2. In the semi-final Li and Ko face Chen Qi and Ma Lin who they lost to in the Athens Olympics final but who they beat in the Doha Asian Games final.
In the mixed doubles, Hong Kong have had the chances to collect two medals with three pairs entering the quarters. Ko and Tie defeated compatriots Lin Ling and Leung Chu-yan in straight sets in one match, but another SAR pair Jiang Huajun and Tang Peng was no match against Qiu Yike and Cao Zhen of China as they lost 4-1 in another quarter-finals.
But that was the best the Hong Kong team could offer on a day when many fell by the wayside. Tie Yana was the most disappointing as she lost both in singles (4-1 to Wang Chen of the US in the second round) and in doubles with partner Zhang Ru (4-2 to Hungary's Georgina Pota and Krisztina Toth of Hungary in the last 16).