Table Tennis Triumph: Hong Kong Women's Team Secures Olympic Spot

2024-02-22 09:53:22

[Titan Road Busan Direct Attack]The Hong Kong women’s table tennis team, composed of Du Kaiqin, Li Haoqing and Zhu Chengzhu, has passed one level after another at the 2024 World Table Tennis Team Championships. After reaching the top 8 yesterday, it qualified for Paris After realizing their dream of Olympic Games, Du Kaiqin, Li Haoqing, and Zhu Chengzhu won another game this morning, defeating Chinese Taipei with a total score of 3:2, and reached the top four of the World Championships team competition again after 2018, and won it firmly. medal.

Although the Hong Kong Women’s Table Tennis Team has long-term main force Su Huiyin absent this year, and Zhu Chengzhu is partnered with Du Kaiqin and Li Haoqing, it has still maintained a strong momentum in recent days, and has recorded 5 consecutive victories in the group stage and top 16 matches. However, they were in a tough battle against Taipei this morning. Du Kaiqin’s winning record and Li Haoqing’s trend of never losing a game have come to an end after this battle. Fortunately, Zhu Chengzhu was able to withstand the huge pressure in the crucial fifth game and won. With a score of 3:1, Chen Siyu, who is ranked 10 places higher than him in the world, led the Hong Kong team to the top four and will compete with Japan or Romania in the semi-finals tomorrow for a spot in the finals.

When Zhu Chengzhu won the last point, the 27-year-old Hong Kong player squatted on the ground first, and then stood up with his hands raised. Du Kaiqin, who was injured in the battle, rushed into the field to hug her at the first time. The other Hong Kong players also swarmed up and hugged her. Zhu Chengzhu, who burst into tears, danced in a circle to celebrate. Table Tennis Association Chairman Yu Guoliang, who had been cheering for the Hong Kong team in the stands during the game, and acting head coach Li Jing also immediately went to the bench to congratulate the women’s team coach Zhang Rui. The scene was very touching.

After several team members came to their senses, they were interviewed by “Ti Lu” in the mixed interview area. Du Kaiqin said frankly that everyone worked hard: “How to put it best, I think everyone worked hard, everyone, whether on or off the field, including teammates and coaches who did not play, all worked hard. In fact, everyone worked hard. When we were preparing yesterday, “Sister Rui” (Zhang Rui) told us that although we have reached the top 8, which was the goal before coming here, we cannot relax because in fact, we cannot say that there is no chance for Taiwan. But we must play with high energy, because we know that many Hong Kong citizens are cheering for us. I think we played very well today and showed good spirit.”

The three Hong Kong players who participated in the match each won a game today. They all contributed to the promotion. In the first match, Du Kaiqin had to face his recent nemesis, Chen Siyu, ranked 41st, and unexpectedly won 3:0. To lay the foundation for promotion, “Adu” said frankly: “She and I have been rivals for many years and are good friends off the court. However, I have lost in the last few games. One of the reasons is that I am injured. And we are very familiar with the game. When I faced her today, every teammate helped me think of some ways to restrain her. I never thought I would win. I felt that I was in good condition today. My overall coordination, Both entry and stalemate abilities are OK.”

The Hong Kong women’s team made it to the top four six years ago with “Adu”, Li Haoqing and Su Huiyin. In comparison, she admitted that it was more difficult this time: “Actually, I was very impressed both times. I think this time it was more difficult. It is more difficult for us. Each of us never thought that we would reach this stage. I hope we will continue to work hard tomorrow. Even if it is very likely that we will face Japan, we still have to have confidence in ourselves when we go on the field. Anyway, we will fight hard. Do your best, because even the masters will be under pressure.”

Li Haoqing has represented the Hong Kong team in the World Table Tennis Team Championships since 2012. This is the sixth time and the fourth time she has reached the semi-finals. When asked which time was the most unforgettable, she said bluntly: “I think it is this time because we I didn’t win a card in the last tournament, but I got it again this year. It feels good. So far, I have fulfilled all my requirements and I am very satisfied for the time being.” This “big sister” has won all 6 games in this tournament. , and only lost one game.

After receiving her Olympic ticket yesterday, Zhu Chengzhu told “Ti Lu” after the game that “my mind went blank.” Today, she was asked whether this victory was enough to become her masterpiece. Hong Kong’s “first sister” ranked 51st in the world He responded like this: “Masterpiece? Really? I don’t know.” Zhu Chengzhu competed with Chen Siyu for the last victory today. When the two battled to the 4th game and Zhu Chengzhu led 2:1, the two sides made many “chaos”, each other Also missed several winning opportunities. “Actually, when I went up to play, I really didn’t think much about it, because I just wanted to enjoy the game. At that time, I no longer thought about nervous things. In the end, when I saw my teammates standing up and cheering, I just thought that I must win this game. This game is for everyone and my team.” In the fourth game, the direction of her attack was looking at the Hong Kong team’s bench, so Zhu Chengzhu saw every move and instruction made by her teammates: “I watched “Adu”, she would do those moves with me, and at that moment I thought I should play slowly and didn’t think about anything else.” She is about to win her first World Championship medal, and she is looking forward to the opportunity to play against Japan tomorrow night. “Because I don’t seem to have played against them, whether it’s singles or doubles, I’ve never competed against Japanese golfers, so I also want to take this opportunity to learn from others.”