Tin-Tin Ho picked up a good singles win against a higher-ranked South Korean at the WTT Feeder Dusseldorf – and she and Sam Walker reached the doubles quarter-finals, where they lost to the top seeds in a deciding game.

Ho defeated Kim Hayeong of South Korea, ranked 53 places above her, in the last 64 and then went out in a deciding game to Lee Zion, also of South Korea, in the last 32.

Lee is the seventh seed in Germany and started the stronger, leading throughout the first, which she took 11-4. But Ho hit back, a run of six straight points opening a 7-1 lead in the second, which she took 11-7.

Ho never led the third but kept pace to 9-9, though her opponent won the next two points to move ahead. Again, the English woman hit back, with an 11-6 scoreline in the fourth based on another run of six points from 4-4.

However, Lee slammed the door on any thoughts of an upset, ruthlessly opening up a 7-0 lead in the decider en route to taking it 11-2.

Earlier today, in the round of 64, Ho was up against Kim Hayeong and put in a consistently high-level performance to win it in three straight.

She was only briefly behind in the first and took it courtesy of two points in a row from 9-9, while there was a recurring theme in the next two games as she went on a run of four successive points from 7-7 on both occasions.

In the third, she was never behind as she completed an impressive victory over an opponent ranked 53 places above her at No 117 in the latest rankings released yesterday.



Walker could not win his own last-64 clash in the Men’s Singles as he lost in three to China’s Liu Dingshuo (WR 189).

His opponent started quickly and built a 7-1 advantage which he converted into an 11-7 game in the first. And although the second was tighter and Walker led by a point on three occasions, the final outcome was the same as Liu pulled away from 7-6.

In the third, Liu again pulled clear near the end, moving from 7-7 to 10-7. Walker saved two match points, prompting his opponent’s timeout, and Liu duly took his next opportunity.

Meanwhile, Walker & Ho took top seeds Dang Qiu & Nina Mittelham of Germany all the way to a decider in the quarter-finals of the Mixed Doubles.

The English pair showed great fight to come from 8-10 down to win the first 12-10, but the German’s got on a roll at the start of the second and took it 11-3.

Walker & Ho had a chance to retake the lead when they led the third 9-7, but four points in a row swung it back in the top seeds’ favour – but the English pair did convert a led in the next, which they won 11-8 to force the decider.

It was well poised at 5-4 to the Germans at the turnaround, but the decisive period followed as Qiu & Mittelham won four in a row immediately after the change. Although Walker & Ho pulled back three points either side of a German timeout, they could not force a way back into it and were beaten 11-7.

Ho and Walker had enjoyed a remarkable victory in the last 16 on Wednesday, saving four match points and taking victory in a deciding game.

Up against Luka Mladenovic & Xia Lian Ni of Luxembourg, the English pair missed a collection of game points in the first before finally winning it 15-13.

Their opponents were given a yellow card for time-wasting at the start of the second – they were somewhat tardy getting back to the table – and although not appearing to be overly fired up by the decision, they nevertheless cantered through 11-3, with six points in a row at the end.

The scoreline was the same in the third, but Walker & Ho stemmed the bleeding in the fourth, which was close throughout. Although they missed two game points at 10-8, they took their next one to level the match.

The decider saw them mostly trailing, turning around at 4-5 and then looking at a 5-8 deficit. They came back to 8-8, via a Luxembourg timeout at 7-8, but then had to save two match points at 8-10.

Two more followed, at 10-11 and 11-12, but Walker & Ho had the final word to take their first match point at 13-12.

It all means they came through despite winning 10 points fewer than their opponents (47-57) over the course of the match.

In the Women’s Doubles round of 16, Ho & German partner Sabine Winter went out in three to the German fourth seeds Mittelham & Xiaona Shan.

Results

Women’s Singles
Round of 64

Tin-Tin Ho bt Kim Hayeong (KOR) 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-7)

Round of 32
Lee Zion (KOR) bt Ho 3-2 (11-4, 7-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-2)

Men’s Singles
Round of 64

Liu Dingshuo (CHN) bt Sam Walker 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-9)

Mixed Doubles
Round of 16

Sam Walker & Tin-Tin Ho bt Luka Mladenovic & Xia Lian Ni (LUX) 3-2 (15-13, 3-11, 3-11, 12-10, 14-12)

Quarter-finals
Dang Qiu & Nina Mittelham (GER) bt Walker & Ho 3-2 (10-12, 11-3, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7)

Women’s Doubles
Round of 16

Nina Mittelham & Xiaona Shan (GER) bt Tin-Tin Ho & Sabine Winter (GER) 3-0 (11-9, 11-4, 11-8)