Hong Kong teenager Doo Hoi-kem stunned China’s world number one Liu Shiwen yesterday to raise hopes of snatching an Olympic table tennis berth.
The 19-year-old, ranked 25th in the world, beat her Chinese opponent four games to two in a shock upset which could take her to Rio 2016 and which she said came as a surprise even to herself.  
“I have never beaten any Chinese player,” she told AFP. “Before the match I still don’t think I can win but my coach asked me to perform as best I can. I didn’t think about winning or losing, just trying.”  
Doo went ahead early in the best-out-of-seven match and had a win in her sights after beating Liu in the first three games 9-11, 5-11 and 10-12.  
Liu made a comeback in the fourth and fifth, but Doo kept the pressure on her opponent and emerged triumphant after game six.  Asked what she thought her chances were of qualifying for the upcoming Games, Doo—who won two medals at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics—said: “It’s still a long road but I will go one game at a time. This match has given me a lot of confidence.”  
Some 11 men and 11 women will be selected at the Asia Olympic Qualifier in Hong Kong, with 23 teams taking part.
China have brought a star-studded team to the event, which wraps up on Sunday, as they aim to sweep the Olympic table tennis golds yet again. Five men and five women will gain places in the first stage as winners of their respective regional zones—Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia. A second stage will create six more places.  
World number one Liu was disappointed at her performance, saying it was her “dream” to compete in the Olympics. It is unclear if she will try out in the second stage of the tournament.  
Other female players to triumph on the first day included South Korea’s Jeon Jihee and London 2012 gold medallist Li Xiaoxia, another Chinese star.  
Jeon came out on top against her South Korean counterpart Seo Hyowon with an overall score of 4-1 and will face Doo next.
Li, ranked number five in the world, saw off Taiwan’s Chen Szu-Yu, also in a 4-1 win, but said she needed to be consistent and avoid injury to have a chance of defending her title at a consecutive Games.  She said the biggest threats to Chinese players were from “rising” competitors like Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Germany—and that Singapore’s Feng Tianwei, ranked seventh in the world, would also be a tough contender.