Advertisement
ITTF
SportHong Kong

World Team Table Tennis Championships: debut joy for Zhu Chengzhu as Hong Kong women start well in Chengdu

  • Zhu makes a winning start as they beat Italy 3-0 in their opening group match
  • Real challenge will come when they take on France in second match on Sunday

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Hong Kong’s Zhu Chengzhu on her way to victory over Giorgia Piccolin of Italy in Chengdu. Photo: AFP
Chan Kin-wa

Debutant Zhu Chengzhu repaid the faith placed in her as Hong Kong’s women began the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Chengdu with an emphatic win on Friday.

Advertisement

Zhu had not been selected last summer when the team captured a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, but this time she got her chance at the High-Tech Zone Sport Centre as Hong Kong faced Italy in group three.

And the 25-year-old showed she belonged on the world stage, beating the higher-ranked Giorgia Piccolin 11-8, 7-11, 11-5, 11-1.

By then, Doo Hoi-kem, the world No 7, had already won 11-5, 12-10, 11-5 against Debora Vivarelli, and Lee Ho-ching wrapped up a 3-0 success for Hong Kong by defeating Nicole Arlia 11-6, 11-7, 12-10.

Giorgia Piccolin of Italy faces Hong Kong’s Zhu Chengzhu during the first group match. Photo: Xinhua
Giorgia Piccolin of Italy faces Hong Kong’s Zhu Chengzhu during the first group match. Photo: Xinhua
The tournament in Chengdu is taking place under a “closed loop” arrangement – similar to that used for this year’s Beijing Winter Olympics – because of Covid-19 cases in the southwestern Chinese city.

“The result was not unexpected, because Italy are not a powerful team,” head coach Chan Kong-wah said. “But what pleases me is the players getting into the match very quickly, which has been one of our major weaknesses before.

Advertisement