The elite women's badminton players of Hong Kong will be looking for more glory in the Japan Open this weekend.
Hong Kong are now considered one of the world's top eight teams after they qualified for the prestigious Uber Cup finals for the first time by beating Japan 3-2 in Australia in February.
Hong Kong have played in the Uber Cup before but, as hosts, were exempted from qualifying in 1996 and 1998.
The eight-strong SAR squad, which include Wang Chen, Ling Wan-ting, Koon Wai-chee and Li Wing-mui, are in Tokyo for the competition which ends on Sunday.
The men failed to match the heroics of their female compatriots Down Under, missing out on the chance to compete in the Thomas Cup - the men's championship - in Guangzhou next month. They will find it tough in the Japan Open after losing 20-year-old Ng Wei through injury. Doubles pair Liu Kwok-wa and Njoto Albertus, who reached the semi-finals of the recent Swiss Open, will be hoping for another good result in Tokyo. The fourth Hong Kong men's player, Agus Hariyanto, lost his second-round singles match against Fung Permadi from Chinese Taipei on Wednesday.
The Japan Open will be screened live on Cable TV Channel 6 from 11 am on Sunday and will feature all the finals - men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles.
