Fans vent anger as new WTA event starts with a whimper
Already missing its top two stars, the first WTA tournament held in the city this century falls short in promoting its remaining attractions
Former Wimbledon finalist Daniela Hantuchova posed for a couple of photos with a group of bewildered children at a tennis clinic before disappearing, while Kimiko Date-Krumm refused to speak to the media abuzz with the feats of her countryman Kei Nishikori at the US Open.
The WTA did not press Slovakian Hantuchova to stay, or ask the veteran Japanese star to change her mind - welcome to the inaugural Prudential Hong Kong Open, the city's first major internationally sanctioned tournament in more than a decade which got off to a less-than-spectacular start at Victoria Park yesterday.
The last time a professionally sanctioned tournament was held in Hong Kong was in 2002 - the Salem Open, an ATP event, that folded after its licence holder decamped to the mainland in search of greater riches.
We had used Bouchard in promoting this tournament, and now that she is not here, they are angry
One would have to go back even further to find out when a WTA event was last held in this town - 1993.
With such a long break, one might have expected the world-governing body, the WTA, to pull out all the stops and give this event as much help as it could to boost the profile of its circuit.
That hardly seemed to be the case. The tournament was hit on Saturday when top drawcard Eugenie Bouchard informed organisers she would not be turning up in Hong Kong, citing fatigue.
Hours after she sent that e-mail, the Canadian pin-up was tweeting from a New York Yankees baseball game.
It is understood angry fans have threatened to sue the Hong Kong Tennis Association for misrepresentation.