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Mike Chan

Hong Kong’s long search for a new tennis figurehead appears to be over after the city recruited the man who oversees player pathways and coaching in the United States.
Steven Host, who is currently director of racquet sports at the US Tennis Association (USTA), will report to both the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) – where the role of head coach has been vacant for almost a year – and the Hong Kong, China Tennis Association (HKCTA), for whom he will become director of player development.
Joining next month, Host will work with the city’s elite players, including Coleman Wong Chak-lam and Cody Wong Hong-yi, as well as young, developing talent.
He will oversee the coaching teams at the institute and the association, and work with players’ own coaches as the sport attempts over the next two years to keep its publicly funded status in Hong Kong.

Previously Finland’s national coach, Host has been responsible for all on-court delivery at the USTA’s national campus in Florida.
“Steven has a blend of experience covering on-court coaching, and management and administration,” said Michael Cheng Ming-git, president of the HKCTA. “He is up to date with international standards and has a track record of producing very good players at junior, college and professional tour levels.
“This is a match for Hong Kong. Steven’s global exposure and his experience in Finland to reset the culture caught our eye.”
A former national instructor in his native South Africa’s tennis association, Host has worked with leading WTA and ATP players.
Players on Host’s coaching CV include Finland’s Harri Heliovaara, the current world No 3 men’s doubles player who has won two grand-slam doubles crowns in the past year and one in 2023. Another is former world No 1 men’s doubles player Henri Kontinen, who has two doubles slams to his name.
Host has coached another Finn, Emil Ruusuvuori, who has been ranked as high as world No 37 and reached the final of last year’s Hong Kong Tennis Open, losing to Andrey Rublev.
Li Zhe, the reigning men’s singles and doubles champion at China’s National Games, said Host was a “good coach with good ideas”.
Host is also coaching his 17-year-old son, Ty, the top-ranked junior player in Australia.
The 48-year-old will be entrusted with helping to take Hong Kong tennis forward at a critical time.
In March, the sport was spared a cut to its Tier A public funding after the government relaxed the criteria, but the clock is still ticking to keep that status in 2027.

To do so, Hong Kong’s players have to win a gold medal at the National Games in November or return with an Asian Games medal from Nagoya next year.
However, Cheng said the hire was aimed at longer-term priorities.
“Tier A is about elite performance strategy at the top, which is important,” he said. “But the director of player development is a senior hire and Steven has a much wider role to oversee the overall participation and activation strategy of tennis in Hong Kong.
“We are looking to build the next group of champions for the future.”


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Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong will soon be working with a new director of player development. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Steven Host is set to begin his role as director of player development in Hong Kong in May. Photo: HKCTA

Host has coached Emil Ruusuvuori, runner-up at last year’s Hong Kong Open. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

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Coleman Wong is flying the flag for Hong Kong tennis in Miami. Photo: Getty

Neil Robertson clutches his trophy after winning this month’s World Grand Prix in Hong Kong. Photo: Dickson Lee

China’s Jerry Shang Juncheng in action at this year’s BOC Hong Kong Tennis Open. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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(From left) Ashley Westwood, Paul Kam, Eric Fok, former United player Dwight Yorke and Hong Kong’s Ngan Cheuk-pan at Thursday’s launch event. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Sport

Hong Kong

Tennis

Experienced new man, who has worked with top WTA and ATP stars including grand slam winners, will oversee city’s elite players, coaches


Experienced new man, who has worked with top WTA and ATP stars including grand slam winners, will oversee city’s elite players, coaches.


Hong Kong Tennis Association (HKTA)

2025 National Games