No 1 Coleman Wong’s year sums up Hong Kong tennis’ uneven progress and potential
The top men’s player has had an inconsistent season, while the city proves a success in terms of hosting events – but with limitations ahead
As 2024 came to a close, Hong Kong hosted top talent in men’s tennis, including world No 8 Andrey Rublev, the rising Chinese star Jerry Shang Juncheng and Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti.
Competing in the event as a wild card was none other than Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong Chak-lam, who, with a career-high ranking of 128 achieved in September, will feature prominently in any chat about the city’s tennis achievements.
The men’s Hong Kong Open, an ATP 250 event, is only on its second day of the tournament proper, with first-round matches having started on Monday. But two months before the men’s 2025 edition got under way, the women’s equivalent, the Prudential Hong Kong Open, rolled into town.
On the court, the event was a success, winning the tournament of the year award, at WTA 250 level, at the Women’s Tennis Association’s Tournament of the Year Awards.
Winning the WTA title was No 1 seed Diana Shnaider, who beat the British second favourite Katie Boulter in dominant fashion 6-1, 6-2, but another tennis great was all over Hong Kong during the tournament.
Li Na, the only Chinese tennis player to ever win a grand slam, was the tournament director and continued her form as a player of being spiky towards journalists in the media-facing position while in Hong Kong.
