UP Open: mixed day for Coleman Wong as doubles title defence ends at first hurdle, but into 3rd round of boys singles
- Wong and partner Edas Butvilas go out to American pair Aidan Kim and Learner Tien
- Elsewhere, 24-year-old American Frances Tiafoe pulled off biggest upset of the tournament, beating second seed Rafael Nadal in the 4th round
Coleman Wong’s hopes of defending his US Open junior doubles title have been dashed in the opening round, after a razor thin loss to American pair Aidan Kim and Learner Tien in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Wong and doubles partner Edas Butvilas were narrowly edged out 7-6, 6-4, 8-10, by the Americans in just over one hour, bringing an early end to their campaign in New York.
The Hongkonger managed some small measure of revenge however, beating 53rd-ranked Kim 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, to reach the third round of the junior singles.
After a slow start, during which he lost serve twice to yield the opening set, Wong lifted his game to snatch an early break in the next two sets and saved all three break points to cement the win. He will now face No 7 seed Gonzalo Bueno for a quarter-final spot.
Separately, American Frances Tiafoe caused a major upset after beating second seed Rafael Nadal 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the fourth round
It was the first time this year that Nadal, who had been chasing a record-extending 23 grand slam titles, has been beaten in a major.