Hong Kong take on Chinese Taipei in their second fixture of the inaugural edition of Asia Mixed Team Championships in Vietnam on Wednesday. After facing a crushing 5-0 defeat against top-seeded Chinese unit on the opening day, the Group A team need nothing less than a win tomorrow to stand a chance of qualifying for the quarter-final.
Despite fielding a strong unit, Hong Kong was no match for China on the opening day as the top seeds clinched wins in all the rubbers of the tie.
It all started in the Men's doubles rubber when Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen of China decimated Law Cheuk Him and Lee Chun Hei in straight games (21-16, 21-14). In the Women's singles rubber, world number 25 was no match for reigning junior world champion Chen Yufei as the latter just needed 39 minutes to take the match.
Hong Kong's Vincent Ki Wong, who was leading the Men's singles campaign in the absence of Ng Ka Long, struggled against Qiao Bin to lost the third rubber of the day. The mixed doubles pairing of Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet were the only unit to even win a game against China on Tuesday but it was not enough as they lost the tie 5-0.
Hong Kong will look to make use of the absence of world number Tai Tzu Ying in the Taiwanese camp on Wednesday. However, the Taipei unit have 19-year-old Lee Chia Hsin and world number nine Chou Tien Chen, who holds a 5-3 head-to-head advantage over Vincent, to lead the singles unit.
Team News
Hong Kong
Possible line-up: Vincent Ki Wong (MS), Yip Pui Yin (WS), Lee Chun Hei/Law Cheuk Him (MD), Yeung Nga Ting/Ng Tsz Yau (WD), Tse Ying Suet/Tang Chun Man (XD)
Chinese Taipei
Squad: Chen Hung Ling, Chou Tien Chen, Hsu Jen Hao, Lee Jhe-Huei, Lee Yang, Tseng Min Hao, Wang Chi Lin, Chang Ching Hui, Chiang Mei Hui, Hsu Ya Ching, Hsu Ling Gang, Wu Ti Jung, Yang Ching Tun
TV Schedule [Available from quarter-final]
Singapore: Eleven Sports
Malaysia: Astro Supersport 4
India: Star Sports
