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Yan D'Auriol's world fell apart four years ago in Bali. His 12-year-old son, Teo, drowned in a swimming pool and the life of a budding tennis player was cruelly cut short.
Yan's dreams of watching his son playing on the lawns at Wimbledon crumbled on that tragic afternoon. But the dream has now been replaced by another hope - that some day, a Hong Kong-born player will achieve what Teo   was denied - a chance to represent this city at the highest level.
In memory of his son, D'Auriol has for the past three years  sent a  Hong Kong player to the world-famous Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida.
Lorraine Cheung was the first scholarship holder in 2005. The following year, Oscar Cheung (no relation) went, and last year it was Vivian Lin.
Next month, it will be the turn of nine-year-old Laurence Lo Lok-pui. He is packing his bags to embark on the adventure of his life - to get a taste of what it is like to play at the academy, which turned Andre Agassi and Maria Sharapova into stars.
'I used to send Teo there every year. He loved going there and enjoyed his stint. But after his death, I decided I would continue sponsoring a Hong Kong player, someone who didn't have the means to pay his way to Florida,' said D'Auriol.
Frenchman D'Auriol has been based in Hong Kong for the past 28 years and runs a  cosmetics business. A member of the Hong Kong Country Club, he realised not all parents could afford to send their children for a month-long summer training course to  the renowned academy.
So together with Roland Liu, who coached Teo at the Hong Kong Country Club, they came up with the idea to set up a scholarship in Teo's memory, one that would help less fortunate children get a glimpse of what is needed to make it to the big time.
'This is solely to help kids from under-privileged backgrounds whose parents cannot find that extra bit of cash to send their children overseas. Teo was one of the best players I coached and he was the under-12 champion at the club, and had a lot of promise,' said Liu.
'His death was tragic but in some small way, hopefully, this will benefit another young kid. Yan is doing this because of his son's passion for tennis. He wants to remember his son and at the same time give something back to Hong Kong tennis.'
Tennis needs all the help it can get, having lost its elite status within the Hong Kong Sports Institute, which has translated into a loss of millions of dollars of government funding annually.
Liu, an Australian-Chinese who has lived in Hong Kong for 10 years, believes the lack of funding and opportunities has exacerbated the problems at the grass-roots level, and will  result in a system  that has failed to produce any leading players  coming to a grinding halt.
'Young kids in Hong Kong face numerous challenges. The biggest is that they don't have enough tournaments to play in locally and they find it difficult to go overseas because of the cost involved.
'For instance in Hong Kong, we only have three open men's tournaments a year. It is tough for kids to develop into players when you consider that in other countries you can play in an open tournament almost every weekend,' Liu said.
A recent study by Peter McCraw, a former coaching director at the Bollettieri Academy and now the head of coaching with New Zealand Tennis, revealed that to produce one world-class player, a system needed a base figure of 5,000 players.
'Hong Kong tennis does not even have 1,000 players at the foundation level. How can we discover a role model? It would be like trying to search for a needle in a haystack,' Liu asked.
'Instead of hoping for a miracle, we need to grow the game at the base and go into the schools and the clubs. We need to provide opportunities for children and what Yan is doing is providing an opportunity.'
While one helping hand might not be what the doctor ordered for Hong Kong tennis, it is a start, according to Liu, who has been taking children to the Bollettieri Academy for the past 10 years in his capacity as an IMG talent scout for Hong Kong and China.
'It is only one kid at the moment, but at least it is an example and by setting one, others might follow,' says Liu.
Vivian Lin, one of the first torch-bearers, says the opportunity provided by the Yan scholarship had opened her eyes to the outside world of tennis.
'I had an unforgettable experience last summer. I met many players from all over the world and we were under the care of many professional coaches,' said the 13-year-old.
'We lived tennis for three weeks. In the mornings we had training drills. After lunch we had mental conditioning classes and then we used to play matches followed by video analysis where the coaches showed us what we did wrong or how we could improve our game,' she added.
Since returning from the United States last year, Lin has gone on to represent Hong Kong in under-14 tournaments in South Korea and Jakarta. She is  ranked fourth in her age group in Hong Kong.
'I lived a dream and I wish I could go there again. But I don't think I can because my parents cannot afford it. My mum is a physical education assistant, while my dad is a sales assistant. I am really grateful for the opportunity given to me and I believe it has helped my game,' Lin said.
The newest member of the alumni is Renaissance College primary student Laurence Lo, who is thrilled to have been picked, said his dad, Andy Lo Wing-hong.
'It will be good for Laurence to see what is needed to become a top player. He is excited and looking forward to the trip. Unfortunately, we can't afford to go with him but he will be in good hands,' said Andy Lo.
Laurence is  the third-ranked player in Hong Kong in the under-10 age group and is armed with a unique one-handed backhand (for a nine-year-old).
'He took up tennis four years ago during his summer holidays. We entered him into the Stars of the Future programme  as it would give him something to do.
'We now realise he has some talent but without this scholarship, we could never have sent him to the Bollettieri Academy,' added Andy Lo.
From the depths of tragedy has been born a scheme which is helping Hong Kong children dream of big things. It is a private endeavour and admittedly a small step. But to make a journey, you have to take the first step.
That is the hope of D'Auriol, who lost a son but did not lose his self-belief.



A father's despair turns to hope