No player has competed in more Women’s World Cup tournaments than Tie Yana; a total of eleven in number. She made her debut in Singapore in 2002 and was present every year until 2012 when she was on duty in the Chinese city of Huangshi.
It is in those shadows that her Hong Kong compatriot, Lee Ho Ching, makes her debut in the annual tournament which starts in Linz, Austria in Friday 17th October.
Lee Ho Ching qualified to compete in the 2014 Women’s World Cup by gaining fifth place in the GAC 2014 Honda Asia Cup in Wuxi earlier this year in March.
GAC 2014 Honda Asia Cup
She finished in third place in her group losing to China’s Ding Ning and Korea’s Seo Hyowon but in contrast overcame Japan’s Sayaka Hirano. Third place meant a quarter-final berth where she was beaten by DPR Korea’s Ri Myong Sun.
However that was to be last defeat she suffered in the tournament; she accounted for Thailand’s Nanthana Komwong and most notably Singapore’s Feng Tianwei to secure fifth place in the competition.
Underlines High Standard
The result against Feng Tianwei underlines the level at which Lee Ho Ching is able to play. It was also endorsed later in the year in June when Lee Ho Ching came within a hair’s breadth of beating Chen Meng in the second round of the Women’s Singles event at the GAC Group 2014 ITTF World Tour China Open.
Perhaps it is a contest Lee Ho Ching would rather forget. She beaten by the minimal two point margin in the deciding game, a game in which she led 7-3 and 9-6 before losing 12-10.
A reverse but the 21 year old, now with time to reflect on the proceedings, she can take the positives; she was the equal of a player who presently stands at no.7 on the Women’s World Rankings. At forthcoming Women’s World Cup in Linz, only China’s Ding Ning and Li Xiaoxia possess a higher status.
Different Status
Furthermore, Lee Ho Ching has a different status in the Hong Kong Team.
No longer is she the delightful little girl who we first saw on international duty in 2005 at the ITTF World Cadet Challenge in 2005 in Santo Domingo when only 12 years old.
Now she is the charming young lady who leads the team. She is at the helm, she is the player to set the example; she is the player with an extra degree of responsibility.
Two Years Ago
The situation has accrued in the past two years. At the Liebherr 2012 World Team Championships in Dortmund in March of that year, Lee Ho Ching was very much the support act for Tie Yana and Jiang Huajun; she won just two matches in the whole tournament. She beat Croatia’s Tian Yuan in first phase of proceedings and Elena Timina in the quarter-final contest against Netherlands.
It was very much a similar situation later in the year in August at the London 2012 Olympic Games; she only played in the Women’s Team event and made two visits to the table, both in partnership with Tie Yana in the doubles, the third match of the contest.
Against Austria they beat Li Qiangbing and Amelie Solja in a three-one success before losing by the minimal two point margin in the deciding fifth game to Dang Yeseo and Seok Hajung in a three-nil defeat in opposition to Korea.
World Ranking
At the time of the London 2012 Olympic Games, Lee Ho Ching stood at no.86 on the Women’s World Rankings; less than two years later in May and June 2014, she had climbed to no.13. Currently, she is listed one place below at no.14.
Importantly, progress had been made in the vital years when junior days were over; the promising teenager had graduated; when the ZEN-NOH 2014 World Team Championships dawned, no longer was Lee Ho Ching the support player, she was the leady lady and she responded to the challenge.
Tokyo 2014
In Dortmund she had won just two matches, in Tokyo she suffered only two defeats. In the group stage she beat the Czech Republic’s Iveta Vacenovska and Serbia’s Andrea Todorovic, before when facing Ukraine losing to Tetyana Bilenko prior to recovering to overcome Margaryta Pesotska.
Against Germany in both the group stage and the quarter-finals she accounted for Petrissa Solja; whilst in opposition to Japan in the penultimate round she was the one winner against Japan. She beat Yuka Ishigaki in the opening match before losing in five games to Kasumi Ishikawa.
Asian Games Two years of advancement and at the recent Asian Games, Lee Ho Ching improved as the tournament progressed.
She secured a bronze medal in the Women’s Doubles event with Ng Wing Nam and a silver in harness with Jiang Huajun in the Mixed Doubles competition.
Meanwhile, in the Women’s Singles event she reached the quarter-final round, losing to China’s Zhu Yuling.
Seeded Position
Lee Ho Ching is the no.6 seed in Linz.
