Hong Kong tennis chief chasing WTA 125 tournament to add third elite event to city’s sporting calendar
- Michael Cheng believes city could host indoor and outdoor events once Kai Tak Sports Park is finished
- Tennis association president says organisation will ‘do more’ for development of local players
Hong Kong’s new tennis boss wants to add another elite event to the city’s sporting calendar, and said he hoped to host indoor and outdoor tournaments in the future.
Michael Cheng Ming-git, president of the city’s tennis association, raised the possibility of adding a WTA Tour 125 event to the men’s and women’s Hong Kong Opens, suggesting it could be held at Kai Tak Sports Park.
Cheng pointed to the likes of New York, London and Paris as cities that staged tournaments in both environments, and asked why Hong Kong should be any different.
“There’s the Paris Masters and Roland Garros, Madison Square Garden and Flushing Meadow [in New York], and then there’s O2 Stadium and Wimbledon [in London].
“The grand slam nations are doing this, why don’t we think this way? That’s why I want to keep an open mind,” he said.
For Cheng, the addition of elite events would contribute to the development of the sport in city, continuing what he considered to be an upwards trajectory.