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Mike Chan

Hong Kong’s Davis Cup team will not have to go far to get the inside track on their next opponents, Finland, with head coach Steven Host having spent three years with the Nordic nation.
The two sides have been thrown together in the draw for the World Group I play-offs in February, with Hong Kong hosting a tie that could see the team return to that level for the first time in 30 years.
And officials hope Host’s experience, coupled with that of adviser Federico Ricci, could give them an edge against the top-ranked team in the play-offs.
“Host coached the Finns’ national team from 2015 to late 2018, so he knows their players well,” Michael Cheng Ming-git, president of the Hong Kong, China Tennis Association, said.
Ricci, meanwhile, spent 12 years in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, working with several high-profile players, including Emil Ruusuvuori, Jarkko Nieminen and Harri Heliovaara.

Ruusuvuori and Heliovaara were part of the Finland Davis Cup team that lost to Austria and Bulgaria in February and September, respectively.
Now retired, Nieminen was the most capped Finn in the country’s 80 years of competing in the competition.
With Kai Tak Arena reserved for the return of snooker’s World Grand Prix, the tie on February 7 and 8 against the world No 17 side will again be played at Victoria Park Tennis Stadium, where a Coleman Wong-powered Hong Kong scored a stunning 3-1 upset over Uzbekistan earlier this month.
Yu Hiu-tung, Hong Kong’s team captain, said playing at the 3,700-seat arena in Causeway Bay benefited the Hong Kong team more than they would have at the new 10,000-seat facility in Kowloon.
“The Finns are used to playing indoors, and indoor courts are much faster [than outdoor hard courts] most of the time,” he said. “They will be much more experienced than we are when it comes to playing tennis indoors.
“We don’t do much indoors, if at all. But we have been playing at Victoria Park for so many years, so I think we will adapt to the environment more.”
Hong Kong’s best Davis Cup performance came in the late 1980s and mid 1990s, when they competed in the Asia/Oceania Zone Group I in 1989, and Yu believes the sport is on the rise again in the city.
“It’s a good thing for sure. I am still a part of the team, though I am not the one playing,” said Yu, who played in 24 Davis Cup ties over the course of his career. “Now that we’re within reach of witnessing the rise.

“Everyone was talking about Coleman Wong, even those who didn’t play or watch tennis were following his recent US Open run, so it’s a good thing. It will be even better if we reach World Group I.”
With Wong fancying his chances in any singles matches, Yu said the doubles encounters would be “critical” in next year’s tie.
“Otto Virtanen, their best singles player, ranks No 140, that’s similar to Coleman,” the 41-year-old said. “It’s really about their form on match day because the difference wasn’t big.
“One of their doubles players, Heliovaara, ranks No 7 in the world, so the doubles match is going to be very important.”


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Davis Cup

Davis Cup: Hong Kong to face Finland in play-offs armed with insider knowledge

One of Finland’s top players, Emil Ruusuvuori, has worked with Hong Kong adviser Federico Ricci in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. Photo: EPA

Hong Kong head coach Steven Host helmed the Finnish team from 2015 to late 2018. Photo: HKCTA

Hong Kong captain Yu Hiu-tung (left) and star player Coleman Wong. Photo: Karma Lo

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Leading American doubles player Taylor Townsend has pulled out of the China Open. Photo: AFP

Taylor Townsend (left) was to partner Katerina Siniakova (right) at the China Open. Photo: Xinhua

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Jevon Groves addresses his players during the opening Asia Rugby Sevens Series leg in Hangzhou. Photo: Hong Kong, China Rugby

Co-captain Seb Brien goes on the charge in Hangzhou. Photo: HKCR

Jevon Groves (centre) with Hong Kong coaching staff in Hangzhou. Photo: HKCR

Sport

Hong Kong

Tennis

Coach of city team starring Coleman Wong spent 3 years with the Nordic nation, who are highest-ranked team in World Group I play-offs


Coach of city team starring Coleman Wong spent 3 years with the Nordic nation, who are highest-ranked team in World Group I play-offs.


Hong Kong Tennis Association (HKTA)

Steven Host

Davis Cup: Hong Kong to face Finland in play-offs armed with insider knowledge

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Coach of city team starring Coleman Wong spent 3 years with the Nordic nation, who are highest-ranked team in World Group I play-offs

Coach of city team starring Coleman Wong spent 3 years with the Nordic nation, who are highest-ranked team in World Group I play-offs