Team USA took out a young Hong Kong team today in a match that turned out to be a little bit closer than they would have liked.

Resting American number three player Jamie Crombie, Team USA started off play with Richard Chin, who went up against Hong Kong’s Max Lee, a nineteen year-old phenom that recently qualified for the Hong Kong Open (one of the biggest PSA tournaments on the circuit). Chin started slow and didn’t have much of an answer for Lee’s volleys and quick pace, dropping the first game 11-2. In the second, Chin started to play some better width, causing Lee to play further off the “T” and making it more difficult to cut as many balls off. Chin saved a game ball at 9-10, but then lost the next two to lose the second 12-10. In the third game, Lee settled into a style very similar to the first game and finished Chin off 11-3 for a win for Hong Kong.

Julian Illingworth was next up against Dick Lau. Illingworth came out strong and pushed through quickly, playing tons of spectacular winners that Lau had no answer for. Illingworth cruised in 26 minutes to an 11-4, 11-9, 11-4 win, knotting the overall team score at 1-1.

Chris Gordon then came on against Wai Hang Wong in the rubber match. Gordon went on court fired up, looking to finish the tournament strong after a disappointing performance against South Africa the day before. He dominated the first two games 11-2, 11-3. In the third, his opponent started to play some better length, limited Gordon’s opportunities, but he still managed to take the game 11-8, sealing Team USA’s victory. Tomorrow’s match-up pits Team USA against New Zealand for 13th place. Seeded 14th coming into the event, Team USA is looking to knock off 13th seeded New Zealand to match the same placing as the 2005 American team.