Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong ‘has great potential’ says Stan Wawrinka after Christmas Eve cracker – ‘he’s a fighter’
- The 18-year-old Hong Kong tennis prodigy pushes three-time grand slam champ to the limit at Victoria Park on Saturday night
- Wong rues ‘anxiety’ as difference as he squanders two match points in fifth-place play-off at Hong Kong International Tennis Challenge
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Stanislas Wawrinka certainly knows talent when he sees it – and the three-time grand slam winner believes local rising star Coleman Wong Chak-lam has “great potential” after the 18-year-old pushed him to the limit in Victoria Park on Christmas Eve.
Wong rued “anxiety” as the difference between him and the Swiss great in their fifth-place play-off at the Hong Kong International Tennis Challenge on Saturday night, but will have only enhanced his reputation after a superb showing.
After taking the opening set, the Hongkonger held two match points in a deciding super tiebreak at Victoria Park Tennis Centre, but Wawrinka showed all of his veteran nous to seal a 4-6, 6-3, 13-11 comeback win.
The 37-year-old Wawrinka, an Olympic gold medallist in doubles, was full of praise for Rafa Nadal Academy product Wong at the post-match press conference, and rightly so.
“He is a fighter and is moving well [on the court],” Wawrinka said. “He is pushing through his game and trying to play his game, I think he has great potential.”
But the former world No 3 stopped short of giving advice to the Hong Kong No 1, who trains in Barcelona.
“Wong is doing the right thing, he is improving,” Wawrinka said. “Like I always said, just enjoy what you are doing. The more you enjoy, the more you are going to practice and keep pushing yourself.”
China’s Wu goes down fighting as Hong Kong tennis fans show support
Two-time junior grand slam doubles champion Wong broke Wawrinka early on to take the opening set. But the teenager was 3-0 down before he knew it in the second set as the seasoned veteran fought back to level the match, pushing it into a super tiebreak.
It was a close battle to start with, before Wong pulled away midway through to lead 8-4. The local fan favourite held two match points at 9-7, and thought he had won it with a powerful serve. He started celebrating on the court, only for the line judge to call it out, and he was subsequently issued a warning by the chair umpire.
“It was noisy on the court and I did not hear the call. It was not easy to pick up again having thought the match was done and dusted,” Wong said.
The junior US Open men’s singles semi-finalist would squander another match point smashing it just wide at 9-8, allow the merciless Wawrinka to steal the match from under his nose.
“It was a 50-50 match towards the end. Both of us were a point or two away from victory. But I am still happy overall,” Wong – who was playing in front of his home crowd for the first time since 2019 – said.
“I was nervous throughout the super tiebreak, but Stan was so calm – it was like he was playing for the first point during the closing stages. I definitely learned a lot from the match.”
Wawrinka, who won his first grand slam title in Melbourne in 2014, will now head Down Under for the United Cup ahead of the Australian Open in January.
