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Davis Cup: Coleman Wong unable to save day vs Taiwan after Hong Kong blow 3 match points in doubles
- Coleman Wong loses to Wu Tung-lin, ranked 847 places above him, after heroics on day 1 and almost a second victory in doubles with Kevin Wong
- Clear underdogs Hong Kong lose the tie 3-1, but punch above their weight
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Hong Kong were beaten by Taiwan in their Davis Cup World Group II tie on Sunday, yet they were left to wonder what might have been after going agonisingly close to winning the doubles match when the contest was on a knife-edge.
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Coleman Wong Chak-lam and Kevin Wong Chun-hun three times stood within a point of victory over the much higher-ranked Hsu Yu-Hsiou and Ray Ho in the morning match at Taipei Tennis Centre, but were unable to capitalise, before losing the following tiebreak and with it the match.
It would prove to be a pivotal moment, with Coleman Wong returning to court in the afternoon after just half an hour’s rest to play Wu Tung-lin in the singles.
The 18-year-old was crushed 6-1, 6-2 to give Taiwan an unassailable 3-1 lead. That, though, does not tell the full story of a weekend in which Hong Kong punched well above their weight.
“It was a little disappointing, since we’ve never been so close to Taiwan,” said non-playing team captain Yu Hiu-tung. “However, our squad did what we said before the game, putting pressure on Taiwan and closing the gap.
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“On the important points, the Taiwanese duo were better than us, which is why their rankings are considerably higher.”
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