Eudice Chong’s doubles delight leads to change in focus ahead of National Games tennis event
Hongkonger’s first career tennis title at Changsha Open was in doubles, and she hopes it can lead to gold come November
Fresh from winning her first career title at the Changsha Open, Hong Kong player Eudice Chong said she was moving away from singles and would focus on the doubles format that brought her success.
The 29-year-old partnered Taiwan’s Liang En-Shuo, who is five years younger, in Hunan last week, winning four matches to reel in her maiden WTA 125 crown, a triumph that lifted her to world No 109 in the doubles rankings.
Chong, who ranks No 600 in women’s singles, said she was excited about having started the “Asian Swing on a good note”.
“The results meant a lot to me because this decision and the work I’ve put in during my training block came to fruition,” she said. “Hopefully, there will be more titles to come.”
With the Women’s Tennis Association on the road in mainland China for the next several weeks, Chong has several WTA 125 and 250 tournaments in her sights, starting with the upcoming 125 event in Jingshan later this month. Others will follow before the 250 tournaments in Guangzhou and her home Prudential Hong Kong Open in late October.
The action of those weeks will all be in preparation for the National Games in November, with Chong targeting a first podium spot at the fourth time of asking.