Hong Kong Open Pickleball Championships: 15-year-old Lee steals the show at inaugural men’s final

The national men’s tennis player secured a hard-earned 15-12 win in the final despite close to no training in the sport

‘Hopefully people know more about the sport, just like they are in the US’ says tournament director and top women’s player Chan

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Vincent Chau, Etienne Lee and Martin Ng, winged by tournament director Venise Chan and ambassador Cindy Lee, are the winners from the inaugural Hong Kong Open Pickleball Championships. Photo: Kenneth Tjon

Published: 12:27pm, 18 Apr 2021Updated: 5:44pm, 18 Apr 2021

Teenaged tennis sensation Etienne Lee Kai-yuen was crowned Hong Kong’s first men’s pickleball champion at the inaugural Hong Kong Open Pickleball Championships 2020 on Saturday.

The 15-year-old showed composure beyond his years on his way to the finals at a windy Waterfall Sports & Wellness tennis courts in Olympian City, where he ultimately defeated Vincent Chau to clinch the trophy.

Most remarkable was that Lee, a member of the national tennis team, had barely prepared for his pickleball debut. He nonetheless held on to a 15-12 win over in-form Chau, who appeared to pick up an injury late on.

“I played pickleball twice then played in this tournament. No [I didn’t train ahead of it],” said Lee, before proud father and fellow competitor Christophe added, “we just bought the racquets today – we didn’t have any to practice with”.

The men’s pickleball championship final between tennis players and pickleball debutants Etienne Lee and Vincent Chau. Photo: Handout

The ever-humble Lee said it “feels good” to win and claimed that pickleball – regarded as a combination of tennis, badminton and table tennis, with stumpier paddles and a hollow polymer ball – to be “more fun than tennis”.