Wimbledon: Coleman Wong makes history by reaching quarter-finals of boys singles
- Hongkonger becomes first tennis player from city to reach last eight of the boys singles at All England Club
- Straight sets victory over Peter Privara sets up battle with doubles partner Michael Zheng for spot in semi-finals
Coleman Wong Chak-lam will become the first Hong Kong tennis player to appear in the quarter-finals of the boys singles at Wimbledon on Thursday, when he takes on doubles partner Michael Zheng for a place in the last four.
Wong reached the last eight by beating Peter Privara of Slovakia in straight sets on Wednesday.
The Hongkonger sent down five aces and hit 27 winners in his 7-5, 7-5 victory on Court 8, but committed a host of unforced errors and was made to work hard by his Slovakian opponent.
Zheng had a slightly tougher route through to the last eight, beating United States compatriot Aidan Kim 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Wong and Zheng then teamed up to dispatch British duo Luca Pow and Henry Searle 6-3, 6-7, 12-10 in the boys doubles, setting up a quarter-final against the No 6 seeds Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik and Poland’s Olaf Pieczkowski, which they will play after their quarter-final clash.
Wong, who has spent time training in Spain at the Rafa Nadal Academy, has yet to go deep into a grand slam event in singles, but he made history last year when he became only the second Hong Kong player to win a grand slam title, partnering France’s Max Westphal to the boys’ doubles title at the US Open.
