Hong Kong Tennis Association denies ‘bias’ accusation following National Tennis Championships draw complaints
Lower-ranked player given place in main draw of tournament ahead of players with higher rankings
The Hong Kong Tennis Association (HKTA) has denied accusations of bias after a discontented mother of a tennis player pulled her son out of the Prudential Hong Kong National Tennis Championships, saying they were unfairly treated by the organisers.
This is not the first time we see this bias and unfairness, not just to our son but also to our friends but nobody dares raise any questions for fear of being blacklisted by the HKTA
Seventeen-year-old junior Alester Magalit, currently ranked joint 36th in Hong Kong with seven other players, had been placed in the qualifying round of the HK$307,000 tournament which began this week with the main draw to take place in April.
The event is one of the main tournaments for local players organised by the HKTA, the sport’s governing body. The men’s singles main draw features 24 players, headed by number one in the rankings, Jack Wong Hong-kit, while there are also eight groups of qualifying rounds each with a drawing size of 32.
Michael Tam Ching-yeung and Tiger Cheung Ngai-long, like Magalit ranked 36th, have been accepted into the main draw, along with Denton Ho, who is ranked 54. Most of the tournaments use rankings to decide who makes the draw.
“This is not the first time we see this bias and unfairness, not just to our son but also to our friends but nobody dares raise any questions for fear of being blacklisted by the HKTA,” said Magalit’s mother.
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“Being blacklisted means never being given the opportunity to be selected or given any financial assistance to some talented and deserving players.”
The committee members are open, fair and just and we don’t think they will have any bias against any particular player
