bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Jonathan White

Follow our live coverage of day nine of the Tokyo Olympics here
Hong Kong’s women’s table tennis team have moved through to the last eight at the Tokyo Olympic Games, but they were forced to work hard by Brazil and are not getting carried away.
The team of Doo Hoi-kem, Lee Ho-ching and Minnie Soo Wai-yam won 3-1 against Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi, Jessica Yamada and Caroline Kumahara, but top paddler Doo had to play twice.
Lee and Soo got Hong Kong off to a 3-0 doubles win against Yamada and Kumahara, before Doo made it 2-0 with a singles victory over Takahashi.

However, Kumahara then beat Lee, forcing another singles match for Doo against Jessica Yamada. Doo’s win meant Soo did not need to take on Takahashi ahead of Monday’s quarter-final.
“Our performance was not very good today,” Doo said. “It was Lee’s first game in the team singles and she felt under pressure, especially playing against their No 1 player. A bit conservative.”


Lee said that she had prepared but her opponent “played extraordinarily”, and agreed with Doo’s assessment – despite coming back from 2-0 down to make it 2-2.
“I did my best to come back and the fifth game I was once leading 6-4 but the opponent fought fiercely from the first point in this match,” she added. “In the final moments, I was under pressure and too conservative.”


Soo said: “The team and individual event are totally different. Three in the team and one match after one with a great team solidarity as we worked for each other.
“Today’s match was quite difficult for every one of us. Even though the first doubles match was 3-0, every game was like 11-9. We really struggled a lot. We could benefit from this match as we’ve already encountered some difficulties.
“I guess we could be more confident and prepare more for tomorrow’s match but we are not thinking beyond tomorrow. We just want to enjoy it and try our best.”



Coach Li Ching said that it would be unexpected for Hong Kong to lose a match to Brazil in normal circumstances but “it would not be too much of a surprise at the Olympics”, which are anything but normal this year.
“After all, the Brazilians are also professional players, any match is a difficult match for us and we need to play at our best,” he said.
“Romania will be more difficult although our players will have a better psychological state after winning the first game,” he added of their quarter-final opponents, who romped past Egypt in a 3-0 win.

“We will study the video footage to decide how we are going to play against Romania. We have met them before and are holding a slight advantage.
“But at this moment it all depends how we play on the day. Of course, I want to see the Hong Kong team go as far as possible.”
Doo knows what they are up against in the Romanians.

“We beat them in both encounters,” she said of their past meetings, “but they were a strong team in Europe and it was difficult to beat them.”
They will watch the videos to prepare but she has another plan.
“The most important thing is to lower your expectation and treat them like a better team,” Doo said. “Mental preparation is the most important. It looked like a big relief in the end against Brazil but I was totally not happy with my own performance.”
Hong Kong face Romania on Monday afternoon.


Chinese authorities investigating ‘malicious’ cyberbullying of diving star Quan Hongchan

Olympic diving champion Zhang Jiaqi defends career switch, says she has to ‘find new job’

Chinese diving star Chen Yuxi says she has received threats, denies she ‘has connections’

Chinese swimmers’ doping tests: Wada launches Operation Puncture to probe leak

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Tokyo Olympics: Hong Kong into women’s team table tennis quarters, but admit ‘our performance was not very good’

Doo Hoi-kem serves during Hong Kong’s women’s team round-of-16 table tennis match at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium during the 2020 Olympics. Photos: AFP

Hong Kong's Lee Ho-ching competes during their women's team round of 16 table tennis match at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo on August 1, 2021. (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP)

Hong Kong's Minnie Soo Wai-yam and Hong Kong's Lee Ho-ching (L) compete during their women's team round of 16 table tennis match at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo on August 1, 2021. (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP)

Hong Kong's Minnie Soo Wai-yam competes during their women's team round of 16 table tennis match at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo on August 1, 2021. (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP)

Tokyo Olympics: Hong Kong’s team foil medal hopes dashed after quarter-final loss to defending champions ROC

Hong Kong's Cheung Ka-long could not inspire the men’s foil team to victory against the ROC team in their quarter-final match. Photo: AFP

CHIBA, JAPAN - AUGUST 01: Team Hong Kong reacts after their loss to Team ROC in Men's Fencing Foil Team Quarterfinal on day nine of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Makuhari Messe Hall on August 01, 2021 in Chiba, Japan. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Tokyo Olympics: Taiwan beats China, lands men’s doubles gold to end long wait for first badminton medal

Taiwan's Lee Yang (left) and Wang Chi-lin pose with their men's doubles badminton gold medals at a ceremony during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza. Photo: AFP

Taiwan's Lee Yang (L) and Taiwan's Wang Chi-lin celebrate winning their men's doubles badminton final match against China's Li Junhui and China's Liu Yuchen during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza in Tokyo on July 31, 2021. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP)

Tokyo Olympics: Ma Long makes it two all-China finals in men’s and women’s table tennis

China's Ma Long serves to Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov at Tokyo 2020. Photo: AFP

China's Ma Long competes against Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov during their men's singles semifinals table tennis match at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo on July 29, 2021. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)

China's Fan Zhendong reacts after defeating Taiwan's Lin Yun-ju in the men's table tennis singles semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics on July 29, 2021, at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Tokyo Olympics: Siobhan Haughey humbled by Hong Kong support for momentous medal heroics

Hong Kong fans watch a large screen broadcasting the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games live during swimmer Siobhan Haughey‘s performance in the women’s 100m freestyle final. Photo: EPA

epa09378433 People react as they watch a large screen (not pictured) broadcasting live the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games during Hong Kong swimmer Siobhan Haughey's performance in the Women's 100m Freestyle Final, in Hong Kong, China, 30 July 2021. Haughey has won two Olympic silver medals becoming the first-ever multiple medalist in Hong Kong. EPA-EFE/MIGUEL CANDELA

Silver medallist Hong Kong's Siobhan Bernadette Haughey poses with her medal after the final of the women's 100m freestyle swimming event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo on July 30, 2021. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)

100m Freestyle

epa09378429 People react as they watch a large screen broadcasting live the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games during Hong Kong swimmer Siobhan Haughey's performance in the Women's 100m Freestyle Final, in Hong Kong, China, 30 July 2021. Haughey has won two Olympic silver medals becoming the first-ever multiple medalist in Hong Kong. EPA-EFE/MIGUEL CANDELA

Sport

Hong Kong

Table Tennis


Doo Hoi-kem wins two singles games to help see off Brazil 3-1 and secure progress into the last eight
‘We are not thinking beyond tomorrow,’ says Minnie Soo as she, Doi and Lee come through tough battle



Doo Hoi-kem wins two singles games to help see off Brazil 3-1 and secure progress into the last eight in the women’s team event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.


Hong Kong Sports Institute

ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation)