England No 1 Tin-Tin Ho made it into the main draw of the Women’s Doubles at WTT Contender Muscat, but was knocked out of the singles by the third seed. Meanwhile, Wales’ Anna Hursey reached a quarter-final at this level for the first time in her career.
Up against neutral athletes Mariia Tailakova & Maria Panfilova – their original opponents from Hong Kong having withdrawn – Ho & Kukulkova recovered from losing the first game to register a 3-1 (5-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-9) success.
They faced Swastika Ghosh & Taneesha Kotecha of India in the round of 16 but, after winning the first game 11-7, lost the next three to exit the competition.
In the singles, Ho was drawn against third seed Qin Yuxuan of China (WR 33), who was a Women’s Doubles silver medallist at WTT Star Contender London in October.
Ho held her own in the first two games, levelling by taking the second 11-8 with three points in a row from 8-8 – a mirror of the pattern by which Qin won the first.
Qin ran through the third 11-3, taking the first six points of the game, and then secure victory by another 11-8 margin in the fourth, a game in which she always held the edge.
Wales’ Anna Hursey (WR 45) knocked out eighth seed Linda Bergstrom of Sweden (WR 43) in the first round – coming from 2-1 down to win 3-2 (4-11, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7).
She then faced Wang Xiaotong (WR 51) of China in the last 16, showing resolve to stave off a comeback from 2-0 by her opponent to win 3-2 (11-8, 15-13, 8-11, 3-11, 11-7).
Having reached her first quarter-final at this level of WTT event, her run was ended by another Chinese athlete, fourth seed He Zhuojia (WR 36).
It went to a decider again but this time it was Hursey battling back from 2-0 down. However, He recovered in the fifth to complete a 3-2 (11-4, 11-5, 7-11, 9-11, 11-2) victory.
Hursey, competing alongside Nina Mittelham of Germany, also made it through in the doubles after a see-saw match against Egypt’s Dina Meshref & Yousra Helmy, winning 3-2 (11-9, 7-11, 11-3, 9-11, 11-8).
They continued their run with a 3-0 (11-9, 11-4, 12-10) over India pair Manika Batra & Diya Chitale in the last 16 but were then knocked out by third seeds Doo Hoi Kem & Ng Wing Lam of Hong Kong in the quarter-finals, beaten 3-0 (12-10, 13-11, 11-6) – they had two game points in the second.
Follow on the WTT YouTube channel.England No 1 Tin-Tin Ho has a wildcard into the main draw as she returns to international competition at the WTT Contender Muscat, which starts today.
The group stage of the Women’s Singles today will be followed by a qualifying round tomorrow, with Ho (WR 222) not due to be into the action until Wednesday.
Every player seeded directly into the main draw is ranked inside the world’s top 75, including Wales’ Anna Hursey (WR 45). The top seed is Shi Xunyao of China (WR 13).
Ho is guaranteed four world ranking points, but a win in the first round will upgrade that to 30, crucial for getting into future competitions.
Ho is competing alongside Tatiana Kukulkova of Slovakia in the Women’s Doubles and they are the top ranked pair in the qualifying round. They will face Zhu Chengzhu & Su Tsz Tung of Hong Kong, with the winners taking their place in the round of 16.
The match is scheduled for 1pm on Tuesday, UK time. Follow the event live on the WTT YouTube channel.
Hursey is competing alongside Nina Mittelham of Germany – they will face Egypt’s Dina Meshref & Yousra Helmy for a place in the main draw, also at 1pm on Tuesday.
Results
Women’s Singles
Round of 32
Qin Yuxuan (CHN) bt Tin-Tin Ho 3-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-3, 11-8)
Women’s Doubles
Qualifying round 1
Tin-Tin Ho & Tatiana Kukulkova (SVK) bt Mariia Tailakova & Maria Panfilova (AIN) 3-1 (5-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-9)
Round of 16
Swastika Ghosh & Taneesha Kotecha bt Ho & Kukulkova 3-1 (7-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-9)
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