Hangzhou Open: Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong through after China’s Wu Yibing retires injured
In what had been billed as their Asian Games rematch, Wong won the first set 6-3 before Wu cried off with what looked like a low-back injury
Coleman Wong has become the first player from Hong Kong since 1972 to win a match in the main draw of an ATP event after his Chinese opponent, Wu Yibing, retired hurt after one set of their first-round match at the Hangzhou Open.
Wong, who is world No 141, won the first set 6-3 before Wu cried off with what looked a like a lower-back problem.
Wu, who was once ranked 54th in the world but is now No 566, had just returned from a lengthy lay-off after surgery to his left foot.
The match on Thursday was billed as a rematch of their memorable clash at the Asian Games in the same city last year, in which Wong had prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 7-6.
Wong will now face fourth-seeded American Brandon Nakashima in the round of 16.
Also playing the ATP 250 tournament, and already through to the second round, are top seed Holger Rune of Denmark, who had received a first-round bye; Croatia’s former world No 3 Marin Cilic, seventh-seeded Hungarian Fabian Marozsan, and Russia’s Karen Khachanov, who is the second seed.
China’s Olympic mixed doubles silver medallist Zhang Zhizhen made it into the second round in the late match, beating Kazakhstan’s Dennis Yevseyev 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.
