Hong Kong star Doo Hoi-kem reaches doubles final, loses singles semi-final at WTT event in Oman
City’s top women’s player teams up with Ng Wing-lam to upset China’s top-seeded pair in the semis, soon after gruelling singles quarter-final
Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi-kem and Ng Wing-lam beat China’s top-seeded pair in the women’s doubles semi-final of the WTT Contender Muscat tournament in Oman on Friday.
Doo, the city’s highest-ranked women’s player, also competed in the women’s singles semi-finals, losing 3-1 to fourth seed He Zhuojia.
Doo and Ng will face China’s second seeds, Qin Yuxuan and Zong Geman, in the doubles final on Saturday.
In Friday’s women’s doubles semi-final, third seeds Doo and Ng beat Shi Xunyao and Wang Xiaotong in straight games.
The Hong Kong pair took 28 minutes to win the match 11-8, 11-8, 16-14, with Ng often initiating attacks to score.
After taking the first two games, the pair led 10-5 in the third but faced a fightback from their opponents. It took an eighth match point for them to seal the win and book their place in the final.
Just half an hour before, 29-year-old Doo had gone through a tough 46-minute match against Chinese Taipei’s Cheng I-Ching, winning 11-8, 11-7, 5-11, 5-11, 12-10.