16th September 2023 – (Hong Kong) Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet have stormed into the final of the Hong Kong Open after defeating Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Jemie Lai of Malaysia in straight sets. Cheered on by a passionate crowd of 6,500 at the Hung Hom Coliseum, the mixed doubles pair crushed their opponents 21-12, 21-12 in just 35 minutes.
While Hong Kong has yet to claim a doubles title on home soil, Tang and Tse are now one victory away from etching their names in local badminton history. They will face either China’s Guo Xinwa and Wei Yaxin or Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito in tomorrow’s gold medal match.
Downplaying talk of the title already, Tse said reaching the final in front of family and supporters was an amazing feeling. The fans have been loudly spurring on Hong Kong athletes all week. With a strong record over Malaysia that includes two wins already this year, Tang and Tse took control early on and never relinquished their lead.
Elsewhere, Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie battled through to the men’s singles final against Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto. Victory for Tang and Tse on Sunday would deliver their first title since 2019 and cap a memorable week for Hong Kong badminton on home soil.