Victory would also make Kong the first fencer from the city to become world champion, but there is more at stake than just personal glory for the 29-year-old.

Hong Kong’s women are battling to qualify for next year’s Olympic Games in Paris and the nine-day World Championships, which started with early elimination rounds on Saturday, offer the most ranking points.

Head coach Zheng Kangzhao described his athlete’s performance against Song as “simply world class”, and backed her to improve on the two bronze medals she has won at previous championships.

“If she can keep that form and performance in Milan, there should not be any fencer that can stop her from winning her first world title,” he said.

While Kong does not enter the tournament until the elimination round of 64 begins on Tuesday, her teammates Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan, Chan Wai-ling and Coco Lin Yik-hei, had to go through the pool stage and only Hsieh progressed.

“It will be important for Kong to win the world title but more important will be a good result in the team competition,” Zheng said. “We are fighting against China for the qualification and if we lost the campaign which will complete by April next year, we can only send one individual fencer in the discipline to the Paris Games.”

The same scenario faces Hong Kong in the men’s foil, with Olympic champion Cheung Ka-long looking to improve on the bronze he won in Cairo last year, and the team needing to have a good week.

Zheng said Cheung would need to overcome the wrist injury he suffered at a training camp in Guangzhou last month and “help the team achieve a good result”.

The three other men’s foil team members are Ryan Choi Chun-yin, Nicholas Choi and Yeung Chi-ka, who captured his first Asian Championships bronze medal in Wuxi after Cheung and Ryan Choi, who’s ranking has dropped to 28, both slumped.

Only Cheung gets direct entry to the knockout round of 64 in Milan, while the other three will begin their tournaments on Monday in the pool stage.