Tokyo Olympics: another Hong Kong medal hope dashed as Wong and Doo fall short in controversial quarter-final loss
- Controversy surrounds climax of epic encounter as table tennis stars Wong and Doo fall short in podium bid
- ‘I have tears in my eyes because I know we could have played better. We had expectations,’ says Doo
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The Hong Kong pair was ultimately undone by an umpire’s call that came down on the side of the French victors after a pulsating seven-game match that went right to the wire.
The thrilling match was eventually won under a cloud with the Hong Kong pair believing that Emmanuel Lebesson’s serve at match point had hit the net and should have been called a let and replayed.
Lebesson and his partner, Yuan Jia Nan, immediately celebrated the win and the umpire awarded the point. Wong protested to the officials but, after refusing to view a video replay, the umpire maintained the call and it was the French duo who progressed to the semi-finals amid muted celebration.
“That last ball … I thought it should have been a net call but they said no, and so did the umpire,” Wong said. “I requested a video replay but the umpire and the opposing players said no. In some cases they might watch the video, but it’s a controversial call to end the campaign.