Young Hong Kong table tennis stars urged to make the most of international exposure

Head coach Chan Kong-wah has asked his young charges to grasp the opportunity for international exposure when the Nikon Hong Kong Junior and Cadet Open kicks off at Queen Elizabeth Stadium on Tuesday.

Part of the International Table Tennis Federation's Golden Series junior circuit, the five-day event will involve more than 150 paddlers from all over the world taking part in under-15 and under-18 competitions.

"Our juniors are making steady progress due to more playing opportunities," said Chan. "The Hong Kong Open serves the purpose well as we are able to have a large number of participants, with a limited budget, to play against top-level competitors."

Zhu Chengzhu, 18, will spearhead the local women's challenge, along with men's counterpart - 17-year-old Hung Ka-tak, who competed at last year's Youth Olympics.

"My target is to steer Hong Kong to the team final and get good results in the singles, as the overseas contingent is strong," said Zhu, ranked 12th in under-18 world standings. She was a doubles winner at the senior Philippines Open in May with Lee Ho-ching. "My long-term target is to represent Hong Kong at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics."

World powerhouses China remain the team to beat, but Japan are sending a formidable squad, including Tomokazu Harimoto, who is No 2 in world under-15 rankings at the age of 12.