Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam: Seeds Survive, World No. 1s Arrive, and More
If Round of 32 day of the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam in Kai Tak Arena had a theme, it was order restored. All eight Men’s Singles seeds advanced, as did all eight Women’s Singles seeds and every seeded team in Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. The upsets, such as they were, came from within the field, and the closest calls were far from the stars.
Singles: Seeds Cruise, a Few Sweat
Christopher Haworth, the No. 1 seed and world Men’s Singles No. 1, continued his Asia account with an 11-3, 12-10 win over Zane Navratil, needing extra points to close out the second game. Federico Staksrud (11-3, 11-3 over Hsieh Chen-An), Tama Shimabukuro (11-1, 11-1 over Timothy Foo), and Noe Khlif (11-1, 11-1 over Joey Wild) were more emphatic. Hunter Johnson followed his three-game scare on Tuesday with an 11-9, 11-4 win over Adam Harvey. Christian Alshon beat Aryaan Bhatia, 11-7, 11-0, and Hien Truong battled past Muhammad Aiman, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6.
Wednesday’s results means there would be quite a few compelling Round of 16 matchups on Thursday in the men’s draw starting with Haworth vs. Truong. Alshon vs. Goldin and Staksrud vs. Oncins should be worth the watch as well.
The women’s side was just as tidy. Kaitlyn Christian dropped one point in each of her two games against Tayah Cross (11-0, 11-1). Chao Yi Wang needed extra points to beat Allyce Jones, 11-2, 14-12, while Sahra Dennehy beat Trang Huynh, 11-6, 11-5, and Kiora Kunimoto beat fellow seed-chaser Danni-Elle Townsend, 11-4, 11-4.
Hong Kong’s Locals: One Door Closes, Another Opens
For the home crowd, it was a split day. Jack Wong Hong-kit beat doubles partner Eunggwon Kim in the singles, 11-5, 11-5, as expected after Tuesday’s preview, then teamed up with Kim to win their doubles match over Easton Horricks and Julian Chow, 11-5, 11-9. In mixed, Wong and Lingwei Kong fell to Mari Humberg and Aanik Ge, 11-6, 11-5.
Nok Yiu Tang, meanwhile, beat Mihae Kwon in Women’s Singles, 11-9, 11-3, but she and Kim lost in mixed to Ting Wei and Hunter Johnson, 11-4, 12-10. Both locals remain in singles, and Tang is still alive in women’s doubles as the No. 7 seed alongside Wang. Tang, fast emerging as a hometown favourite will look to continue her rise on Thursday against Wang, undoubtedly one of the best players in the world in the women’s side. In perhaps an ironic twist, Wang could be the key to Tang advancing further in Women’s Doubles as they will next face the pair of Mari Humberg and Cailyn Campbell.
The World No. 1s Make Their Entrance
Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters stepped onto the Kai Tak courts for the first time and made it look routine. Johns and Tardio, the top seeds, beat Le Duc and Nguyen Huy, 11-1, 11-4. Johns and Waters then beat Hannah Blatt and Grayson Goldin, 11-3, 11-3, in mixed. Waters and Anna Bright, the top seeds in women’s doubles, had a bye. Elsewhere in mixed, Bright and Hayden Patriquin barely noticed Navratil and Katie Morris, winning 11-0, 11-1. JW and Jorja Johnson, the No. 3 seeds, beat Kwon and Collin Johns, 11-1, 11-5, while Haworth and Alix Truong survived Wild and Andie Dikosavljevic, 11-6, 2-11, 11-9.
The Scares
There were a few close ones. Casey Diamond and Tyson McGuffin edged Wil Shaffer and Eduardo Santini Ayon in men’s doubles, 11-9, 13-11. Todd and Alshon beat Truong and Sophia Nhi Huynh in mixed, 11-1, 12-10, and Luc Pham and Will Mackinnon came from a game down to beat Harrison Brown and Goldin, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6.
Click HERE for the full match results and HERE for the brackets.
The Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam continues on Thursday, October 22 in Kai Tak Arena with Round of 16. Balls will start flying at 9:00 a.m. (GMT+8).
