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.
Tiafoe covered his face with his hands as he soaked up the cheers from a packed house at Arthur Ashe Stadium after breaking Nadal for a fifth time to claim arguably the biggest upset of the tournament.
“I don’t even know what to say right now, I’m beyond happy, I’m almost in tears,” Tiafoe, seeded 22, said after the match.
“I can’t believe it. He is definitely one of the greatest of all time. I played unbelievable tennis today but I really don’t know what happened.”
The defeat also ended a run of 16 successive slams where the Spaniard had made at least the quarter-finals.
“I need to go back. I need to fix things. I don’t know when I going to come back,” Nadal told a post-match press conference.
“I am going to try to be ready mentally. When I feel that I will be ready to compete again, I will be there.”
