Hong Kong tennis chief chasing WTA 125 tournament to add third elite event to city’s sporting calendar
- Michael Cheng believes city could host indoor and outdoor events once Kai Tak Sports Park is finished
- Tennis association president says organisation will ‘do more’ for development of local players
 - Mike Chan.jpeg?itok=EQbwYm3R&v=1669714688)
Hong Kong’s new tennis boss wants to add another elite event to the city’s sporting calendar, and said he hoped to host indoor and outdoor tournaments in the future.
Michael Cheng Ming-git, president of the city’s tennis association, raised the possibility of adding a WTA Tour 125 event to the men’s and women’s Hong Kong Opens, suggesting it could be held at Kai Tak Sports Park.
Cheng pointed to the likes of New York, London and Paris as cities that staged tournaments in both environments, and asked why Hong Kong should be any different.
“There’s the Paris Masters and Roland Garros, Madison Square Garden and Flushing Meadow [in New York], and then there’s O2 Stadium and Wimbledon [in London].
“The grand slam nations are doing this, why don’t we think this way? That’s why I want to keep an open mind,” he said.
For Cheng, the addition of elite events would contribute to the development of the sport in city, continuing what he considered to be an upwards trajectory.
“Ten years ago, there was no Coleman [Wong], no Eudice [Chong],” he said. “There was no Richie Choi, who is the first from Hong Kong to reach the Junior Orange Bowl final in December.
“So you have a production line of elite players coming through. Ten years ago, you didn’t even have the WTA event, but now you actually have two international events and counting.”
Cheng said the association would “do more” to allow local players to benefit from high-level events, adding it was about knowing and understanding “what our players need”.
But part of that equation was about ensuring the right tournaments for the development of Hong Kong athletes were added to the schedule.
“The 125s are international events and if you get the date right, you’re still getting a very competitive field and you can still pose good competition to the top Hong Kong players, it’s fitting to the city,” he said.
The Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, which finished on Sunday, was the first time an ATP event had been held in the city for more than 20 years, and Cheng said fans could expect it return until at least 2028.
And despite the age of the venue at Victoria Park, Cheng does not believe the tournaments need to be moved to Kai Tak, considering the new facility, which includes a 50,000-seat stadium equally important.
“If we focus on developing players, whether it’s the base or the top, and what kind of venue do we need in Hong Kong?” he said. “What sort of advantage do we need in order to develop the next generation of players?
“This is about developing sport, not just about putting up a good show.”
