Hong Kong’s Ho Kwan Kit and Wong Chun Ting in action during the doubles final of the ITTF World Tour Platinum Qatar Open in Doha yesterday.
Hong Kong’s Ho Kwan Kit and Wong Chun Ting, the no.3 seeds, beat Germany’s Timo Boll and Patrick Franziksa in four games (11-4, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9) to secure the men’s doubles title on the penultimate day of the ITTF World Tour Platinum Qatar Open.
It is the pair’s third such success after their triumphs in 2016 when they won in the Czech Republic followed by victory on home soil in the Queen Elizabeth Stadium.
In the Women’s Doubles Final, Chinese players Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu secured the title following a five-game battle.
Yingsha and Manyu, the no.2 seeds, beat compatriots Ding Ning and Wang Yidi, in a full distance five games final (12-14, 16-1, 11-6, 11-13, 11-4). Ding Ning and Wang Yidi, notably having started their journey in the qualification tournament.
A contest that ebbed and flowed, crucially in the fifth game Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu established a 5-2 lead at the change of ends; it was to prove a crucial advantage. It is the first ITTF World Tour or ITTF Challenge Series women’s doubles title won by Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu as a partnership.
In the Mixed Doubles Finals, Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen yesterday seemed unstoppable.
A truly formidable combination, Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen added another Mixed Doubles title to their collection following a strong display from the Chinese pair in Doha.
At the final hurdle fifth seeds Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen accounted for fourth seeds Masataka Morizono and Mima Ito with a convincing 3-0 victory (11-5, 11-7, 11-7).
This marks the third time Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen have come away with an ITTF World Tour Mixed Doubles trophy having won last year in Austria and earlier this year in Hungary.
The curtain falls today evening on the 24th edition of the Qatar Open, the first round of the ITTF World Tour Platinum, which began on March 26 with the participation of 275 players representing 51 countries.
The final’s action starts at 10:00am with the first women’s singles semi-final followed by the second last-four clash at 10:50am, organisers said yesterday. The Men’s Singles Final will be played from 3:00pm followed by the Women’s Singles Final.
