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Lars Hamer

Coleman Wong Chak-lam believes he can harness the power of the home crowd to defeat mainland Chinese rival and world No 50 Jerry Shang Juncheng in the first round of the Bank of China Hong Kong Open.
Shang pulled Wong’s name out of the hat at the tournament draw at Victoria Park Tennis Stadium on Saturday to set up a repeat of the Shanghai Masters first round, where the 19-year-old mainland Chinese rising star won 6-4, 6-4.
The tournament schedule has not yet been released, but the first round is slated to start on Monday.
“I have to believe I can win; last time I lost [against Shang], but we don’t know what’s going to happen this time,” Wong said.
“He’s a really good player, and I’m looking forward to facing him again in Hong Kong – it’s very exciting.”

Wong also faces a tough first-round draw in the doubles tournament as he and Nam Ji-sung from South Korea will face Andrey Rublev – world No 8 in singles – and his partner Karen Khachanov.
In January, Wong and Belgian partner Zizou Bergs were eliminated by the same Russian pair in the first round of the 2024 season’s Hong Kong Open.
Wong is currently ranked 170 in the world but reached a career-high 128 in September. He was given a wild card for both the singles and doubles tournaments at this year’s Hong Kong Open, which runs from December 29 to January 5.
The 20-year-old had an inconsistent 2024, with highlights including becoming the first Hongkonger to make the main draw of a Masters 1,000 tournament when he defeated both the then-world No 89 Hugo Gaston and the then-world No 97 Sumit Nagal to make it to the Miami Open.
Wong also made it to three grand slam qualifying competitions, but his season ended with a slump as he failed to impress in a series of challenger events in Japan, meaning he was unable to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah.
Despite the up-and-down year, Wong said he has matured throughout 2024 and is now thinking about tennis differently and that his knowledge of the game has improved.

“I’ve been practising for two or three weeks in Spain, and I’ve been playing full calendar challengers and ATPs for a year in the pro game, so I’m more aware of my style of play.”
Wong was roared on by a packed centre court crowd while losing in two tight sets to Lorenzo Musetti in the opening round last year, and he said he was hoping the same support could see him through this year.
“Hopefully, a lot of people will come out and support me – I’m excited to play in Victoria Park again,” he said.
Shang, on the other hand, is going into Hong Kong on the back of a breakthrough season that saw him win the Chengdu Open and qualify for the Next Gen Finals.
In 2024, the 19-year-old made it to round 32 of the US Open, the Australian Open and Wimbledon’s round of 64.


Australian Open: Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong exits qualifying after loss to Fonseca

Rublev will give Djokovic positive Hong Kong Open message, but Russian unsure over return

Australian Open qualifiers: Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong closer to main draw after plucky win

Hong Kong Tennis Open winner tells city’s No 1 Coleman Wong where to focus for success

ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals)

Hong Kong Open: Coleman Wong hopes to be roared on again by home crowd against Jerry Shang

Coleman Wong (left) and Jerry Shang at the tournament draw of the Bank of China Hong Kong Open at Victoria Park, before finding out they will face each other in the first round. 

Coleman Wong has been given a wild card for both singles and doubles at this year’s Hong Kong Open. Photo: HKCTA

Coleman Wong will face top Russian star Andrey Rublev in the doubles. Photo: EPA-EFE

Hong Kong Open: American rising star Learner Tien to carry his fine form to Victoria Park

American Learner Tien upset several higher-ranked players to finish second at the Next Gen Finals in Jeddah last week.

China’s Jerry Shang, who also played in Next Gen ATP Finals, is part of the Hong Kong Open field. Photo: Xinhua

Zhang Zhizhen targets top 30, grand slam success, and first ATP career win in Shanghai

Zhang Zhizhen gets in some pre-season training at Victoria Park Tennis Stadium. Photo: HKCTA

Zhang Zhizhen hosted a clinic with 40 children at Victoria Park Tennis Stadium during his time in Hong Kong. Photo: HKCTA

Sport

Tennis

The rising Chinese star pulled Wong’s name out of the hat at the tournament draw to set up a repeat of the Shanghai Masters first round match


The rising Chinese star pulled Wong’s name out of the hat at the tournament draw to set up a repeat of the Shanghai Masters first round match.
