Ling Wan-ting celebrated her 19th birthday yesterday by winning a place in the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open.
'I'm used to spending my birthday playing in the Open every year,' said Ling following her 6-11, 11-5, 11-7 second-round win over Kyoko Komuro at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium.
But the rising Hong Kong star, seeded third/fourth in the tournament, was given a scare in the third game when she had to fight back from 4-7 down to win.
Ling said she was unable to get into the match at the start.
'I was very nervous in the first game. I knew it would be a tough match today as Japanese girls are always difficult to play,' she said.
Ling celebrated her 18th birthday with a bronze medal in the same event last year and she hopes to do even better this time around.
She is only a match away from emulating last year's performance and standing in her way is China's Dong Fang, whom she meets today.