Hong Kong Tennis Open: local boy Coleman Wong elated at ‘special’ night despite defeat – and forecasts ‘crucial year ahead’
- Wild card Wong loses to world No 27 Lorenzo Musetti, but brings Centre Court to its feet by playing his part in a lively match
- ‘Nothing beats the feeling of playing my first ATP match at Victoria Park,’ the teenager says
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Hong Kong tennis’ rising star Coleman Wong Chak-lam said he was on the right track after putting in a courageous fight at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, despite losing to Lorenzo Musetti.
The two-time junior grand slam doubles champion lost 6-4, 7-5 in the first round at Victoria Park on Tuesday, but showed resilience and tenacity to stay competitive for a lively hour and 47 minutes.
“I think this is the best start ever for the season, nothing beats the feeling of playing my first ATP match at Victoria Park,” said the 19-year-old, who received a wild card to play in his first ATP-level tournament.
“This is my hometown and where I started playing tennis, so it really means a lot to me and it’s special.
“This is a crucial year ahead. I had some psychological and even rankings breakthroughs last year, and the improvement is massive compared to where I started, so there’s no regret at all.”
Wong was on the back foot after Musetti broke him in the third game of the opening set, which he went on to win. The teenager was unable to hold serve early on in the second set, but this time he crawled back later to parity to make a game of it at 5-5.
He proceeded to ratchet up the crowd’s support with fizzing forehands and stirring fist pumps, only for the Italian to steal the next game again and hold on for the win.
Now ranked No 253 in the world, Wong said he did not feel too much pressure before the match, knowing that most of the fans on Centre Court would be behind him.
“It was a close match at the start, I did have my chance but he handled it well,” Wong said. “I need to do better, try to win the crucial points when facing such world-class players – next time I need to be more calm.”
But Wong added that he did not see the difference he had to bridge as insurmountable.
“These opponents are more solid both mentally and psychologically, which enables them to make those important decisions and thus give them bigger chances to win the match,” Wong said.
“I believe I am on the right track, I am training well, so I believe in my chance to keep rising [in the rankings].”
World No 27 Musetti admitted he was “surprised” by the fan favourite Wong on several occasions.
“He brought me back when I was serving for the match on 5-4, and he returned two times amazingly on my first serve, really strong,” the 21-year-old from Tuscany said.
“Of course, he was playing really freely and with the support of the crowd, and was feeling the moment for sure. At the end I had to stay really calm and patient to find the way to close the match.”
A two-time ATP Tour singles title winner, Musetti also talked up Wong’s potential and tipped him to improve further.
“He was serving pretty well for a guy of his age, and of course he can be dangerous in the future,” he said.
On Monday, Wong had partnered Zizou Bergs of Belgium in the doubles against Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov – two of the tournament’s top singles seeds from Russia – and lost in straight sets, going down 6-2, 6-4 in 66 minutes.
Following his maiden ATP tournament, Wong revealed he is set to play at an ATP Challenger event in Nonthaburi, Thailand next week.
