Victory over Lin Dan boosts Wong's future
A sensational victory over Olympic champion Lin Dan of China has given rising Hong Kong star Wong Wing-ki a strong boost as he bids for a place in the London Games.
The unseeded 21-year-old Wong (pictured) upset the China number one after three games (21-10, 17-21, 21-19) in the second round of the Denmark Open Super Series event.
'The young boy has been making steady progress on the international stage, but he needed a big win to prove himself,' Hong Kong head coach Tim He Yiming said.
'He had already done a great job in the opening round with a 2-1 win over South Korean Lee Hyun-il, a player he had not beaten in five previous encounters.
'But the victory over Lin means much more, as the China ace seldom loses to players other than his China teammates.
'And Wong only made it in three games, so Lin did seriously try. The result will have a great impact on Wong, as he is challenging for a place in next year's Olympic Games.'
Wong ranks 27th in the world and will now collect at least 5,000 points from the tournament, which will boost his ranking to about 20.
'The world's top 36, after the cut-off day in April next year, are likely to get into the Olympic main draw,' the coach said. 'Of course he still has a long way to go before that, but if Wong can maintain his standard, he can certainly make it. I hope he can build on the success from here and make further improvements.'
In the women's singles, Tse Ying-suet also enjoyed a flying start, overcoming Eriko Hirose of Japan 21-14, 21-18 in the opening round.
In the next stage doubles-specialist Tse surrendered only after a gruelling three games against top seed Wang Yihan of China.
Tse and her partner Poon Lok-yan are ranked 10th in the world and have a great chance to reach the doubles main draw, featuring 16 pairs. They lost to top seed Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang of China in two games in the opening round in Denmark.
4
Number of times Lin Dan has captured the world title - most recently in London in August
