Unseeded duo Huang Di and Zhou Hao Dong, playing in only their second tournament together, delivered the most surprising result on Day 1 of the LI-NING Hong Kong Open 2024.
After making it through the qualifiers, the Chinese pair—who were eliminated in the first round of their debut at the Korea Open two weeks ago—shocked top-seeded men’s doubles champions Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen with their fast and aggressive style, winning 21-15, 25-23.
The second game was particularly tense, with both sides exchanging slim leads from 18-all, but Huang and Zhou stayed composed to secure the victory.
Zhou, who had previously partnered with He Ji Ting for two years before teaming up with Tan Qiang at the end of last year, credited their speed as the decisive factor in defeating the world No. 2 pair.
“Our speed gave us the edge,” said Zhou, 26, from Ningbo. “Playing fast is our strength, and we showcased it today.
“Kim and Anders, being top players, had more pressure to deliver a result. For us, the goal was to stay aggressive and push ourselves to beat the best.
“We’re thrilled with this win, but our focus now shifts to preparing for the next round.”
Huang and Zhou will next face Lin Bing Wei and Su Ching Heng from Chinese Taipei.
Elsewhere, Danish men’s doubles teams faced more disappointment. Shortly after, Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard fell 21-14, 21-17 to Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Daniel Marthin.
Denmark’s hopes in men’s doubles ended later in the day, when sixth seeds Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Sogaard lost a tight match, 15-21, 23-21, 19-21, to Nur Mohd Azryn and Tan Wee Kiong.
He Jiting, male, born on 19 February 1998 in Shaowu, Fujian Province, is a Chinese badminton player, and winner of the Sudirman Cup World Mixed Team Badminton Championships.
He began his badminton training at Shaowu Junior Sports School in 2005 under the tutelage of coaches Zheng Qixuan and Xu Jianping.
In 2008, he entered the Fujian Provincial Junior Sports School, and in August of the same year, he entered the Fujian Provincial Badminton Team; in 2014, he was selected as a member of the National Badminton Youth Team.
In December 2015, He Jiting was selected from the Fujian Provincial team to join the doubles team of the second badminton national team.
At the beginning of 2016, he officially entered the national team to start training. He won three consecutive team titles at the Asian Youth Championships and World Youth Championships from 2014 to 2016, and the men’s doubles title at the Asian Youth Championships and World Youth Championships in 2015, as well as the mixed doubles title at the Asian Youth Championships and World Youth Championships in 2016.
On 1 December 2019, He Ji Ting and Tan Qiang won the men’s doubles final at the 2019 Badminton World Federation Super 300 Said Modi Badminton Championships in India.
On 3 October 2021, in the final of the Sudirman Cup World Mixed Team Badminton Championships, He Jiting/Zhou Haodong helped China beat Japan’s duo of Jorang Hiroki/Yugo Kobayashi 2-1 in the men’s doubles event to win the title.
On 16 December 2021, they participated in the Badminton World Championships in Huelva, Spain, defeating the third-place finisher of the Tokyo Olympics, Malaysian duo Soo Wei-Yi/Thieh Dinh Phong, and advancing to the last eight with a bang. 17 December, in the Men’s Doubles Quarter-Finals of the World Badminton Championships 2021 in Huelva, Spain, the Chinese duo He Ji Ting/Tan Qiang defeated Malaysian duo Goh Ui Seng On 18 December, in the semi-final of the World Badminton Championships in Huelva, Spain, the men’s doubles pair of He Jiting/Tan Qiang defeated the 7th seeded pair of Denmark’s Astrup/Rasmussen to reach the final with a 2-1 (21-16, 13-21, 21-15) victory. 19 December, in the men’s doubles final of the World Badminton Championships in Huelva, Spain, the men’s doubles team of Chinese Jiting/Tan Qiang beat the 7th-seeded pair of Denmark’s Astrup/Rasmussen by 2-1 (21-16, 13-21, 21-15) and entered the final. In the Badminton World Championships Men’s Doubles Final, He Ji Ting/Tan Qiang finished as runners-up after losing 0-2 to Jorang Paulmu/Yugo Kobayashi.
In March 2022, He Jiting violated the relevant rules of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) by failing to do his best to win the 2018 Fuzhou China Open, He will be banned for three months, suspended for two years, the penalty has come into effect on 25 January 2022, and will be enforced from 25 January to 25 April 2024. He will also be banned for two years for failing to win the 2018 Fuzhou China Open.
World Ranking – Men’s Doubles 8, Week 29, 2024
Olympic Points – Men’s Doubles 11, 67396 points
Finals Ranking – Men’s Doubles 1, 68150 points
Equipment Used
THRUSTER F Falcon Black Gold; ASTROX 77 PRO; AERONAUT 9000C; 75TH 65Z2; ASTROX 88S PRO; SHB65Z3 New Colours SHB65Z3MEX; ASTROX 88D Beige/Red; COMFORT Z3; AERONAUT 7000B
Major Achievements
2024 Australian Open Badminton Men’s Doubles Champion
2024 Singapore Open Men’s Doubles Champion
2024 Malaysia Badminton Masters Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
Member of 2024 Thomas Cup Men’s Team Champion
2024 German Badminton Open Men’s Doubles Runner-up
2024 Asian Badminton Championships Men’s Team Champion
