HK's Hui powers his way into quarters
UNSEEDED local ace John Hui Kin-yip scaled new heights in his fledgling tennis career when he powered his way into the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open Junior Championships at Victoria Park yesterday.
Sixteen-year-old Hui, ranked 114th on the International Tennis Federation junior chart, easily defeated eighth-seeded Jaideep Shetty of India 6-2, 6-3.
Hui has made a meteoric rise through the rankings since Australian Mark Jeffries became his personal coach a year ago.
''John was in the 400s when I arrived, and after this tournament we reckon he should be in the top 90,'' said a delighted Jeffries.
''John played pretty well, he was very consistent and he has improved a lot on his serve over the last 12 months.
''This is definitely one of John's best results in an ITF event as his previous best result in singles was at the Asian Junior Championships in Singapore when he reached the last 16.'' Hui, the only Hong Kong survivor in the tournament, faces an acid test in today's quarter-final round when he meets second-seeded Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia, who defeated Briton Martin Lee 6-3, 7-6 (7-2).
Hui also remained in contention in the doubles event when he and Britain's Alex Osterrieth demolished the Indonesian combination of Andrian Raturandang and Surya Budi 6-1, 6-2.
