by Simon Daish
The line-up of Mak Tze Wing, Minnie Soo Wai Yam and Liu Qi represented Hong Kong in the Girls’ Team category at the event in Cape Town where they secured a third place finish.
Despite a defeat to Japan in the last four for Hong Kong a bronze medal was in the bag. Just three days later another two bronze medals were added to Hong Kong’s collection as Liu Qi and Wong Chin Yau, and the pairing of Mak Tze Wing and Soo Wai Yam Minnie both shared third spot in the Girls’ Doubles draw.
Four bronze medals had been won by Hong Kong across the Girls’ Team and Girls’ Doubles categories and Mak Tze Wing was delighted with the successful showing from her fellow compatriots at the tournament:
“We came to the Worlds with sights set on the Team event for a medal and we are very happy to have reached our target. We won two medals in the Girls’ Doubles and this is due largely to our regular appearances on the World Tour. We are very eager to prove that we are at Asian or even world level and we have done that”, Mak Tze Wing.
Mak Tze Wing would also go on to pull out a stunning run in the Girls’ Singles competition which saw the 18-year-old from Hong Kong book a place in the final, having eliminated the likes of Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz and Adina Diaconu of Romania in the process.
The title ended up in the hands of China’s Shi Xunyao, but Mak Tze Wing’s coach Li Ching was overjoyed with the outcome in Cape Town.
“She has beaten some of the players that she had never beaten before in Cape Town. The hard work paid off and it proves she has improved a lot. Mak Tze Wing was playing her last Junior Worlds, the same as Soo Wai Yam Minnie and Liu Qi, but the girls did a great job in the Girls’ Team event by keeping our good track record and enjoyed a perfect ending”, Li Ching.
Notably, the main talking points from the Sun International 2016 World Junior Championships may have been about Japan’s title victories or China being reduced to just a single gold medal, there is no denying that Hong Kong’s squad for the Girls’ categories more than deserves a special mention for its heroics at the tournament. In addition, silver medallist Mak Tze Wing is a young player worth keeping an attentive eye on at future events.
