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Paul McNamara

Ice-cool Otto Virtanen clinically terminated Hong Kong’s quest to return to Davis Cup World Group I, as the city team endured a chastening Sunday afternoon against Finland at a sold-out Victoria Park Tennis Stadium.
Summoned late to play doubles, Virtanen combined with Patrik Niklas-Salminen for a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Coleman Wong Chak-lam and Nicholas Cheng Siu-chi.
He then swept aside a below-par Wong 7-5, 6-2 to seal a 3-1 win and Finland’s place in World Group I. Hong Kong will have a World Group II tie in September.
Jarkko Nieminen, the Finland captain, said he decided on Saturday night to replace original doubles pick Patrick Kaukovalta with Virtanen because he “played great on Saturday [when beating Cheng] and seemed in such good shape”.
Virtanen further validated his skipper’s judgment when he subjected an increasingly exasperated Wong to a rare Davis Cup singles defeat.
Yu Hiu-tung, the Hong Kong captain, said he “wouldn’t have changed anything” about the way he handled the tie.
“I’m pleased with the team, they fought really hard,” said Yu, adding that he had anticipated Virtanen’s 11th-hour doubles call.

The decision to select Cheng blew up in Yu’s face on Saturday, when the teenager managed to win just one game in his crushing defeat by Virtanen.
Credit to the debutant, though, for the way he roused himself to compete alongside Wong on Sunday.
He was targeted by the more seasoned Finns and coughed up his serve three times, but in his flat and accurate groundstrokes, and occasional cushioned volleys, Cheng exhibited a degree of comfort that was glaringly absent 24 hours earlier.
When he somehow retrieved a ball from deep behind the baseline, then followed up with two savage blows to save a third break point at 5-5 in the second set, the majority of the 3,600 audience leapt to their feet and roared their approval. It was a lovely moment.
“I felt so much better than yesterday; having Coleman by my side meant I had someone to pump me up,” Cheng said. “It’s been a super-good experience for me. I’m still competing in juniors, I’m nothing special and I have to keep working hard.”
Cheng’s escapology in that 11th game was ultimately futile, the Finns capitalising on their next break point, then serving out for a lead in the tie.
Tasked with keeping his team alive in the day’s first singles rubber, Wong squandered three break points in Virtanen’s opening service game. He was broken in the ninth and 11th games, either side of managing his solitary break of the angular Virtanen’s powerful serve.

Wong left the court between sets, but returned to lose the opening four games of the second, as his world No 116 opponent dictated from the middle of the court. A trio of poor shots from 30-15 ahead in the third game pointed to Wong’s brain beginning to scramble. During the subsequent changeover, he sank low in his chair.
The 21-year-old refused to throw in the towel, but Virtanen was just too good, his consummate final game a fitting way to conclude a weekend when Nieminen said his best player “didn’t play one bad game”.
Wong will travel to the United States in the coming days ahead of competing in next week’s Delray Beach Open and the following week’s ATP 500 Mexican Open in Acapulco.
“In the important moments, Otto was better than me and he got away,” Wong said, adding that despite the result he hoped an upbeat occasion would accelerate the popularity growth of tennis in Hong Kong.
“It’s trendy right now,” Wong said. “I never take the support for granted.”
Nieminen and his players, meanwhile, were planning to celebrate “until we feel tired”.
The 44-year-old, who led Finland to the Davis Cup group stages on neutral territory in 2023 and 2024, said he would advocate a return to the competition being played on an exclusively home-and-away basis.
“The atmosphere was so good, and really fair,” Nieminen said. “This is the best away match I have experienced. It’s a big thing for Finnish tennis to play at home, but if we have to play away, I’d take this atmosphere and surroundings.”



Davis Cup: Hong Kong undone by Finland, as Coleman Wong suffers against ice-cool Virtanen

Coleman Wong ‘ready’ to shoulder burden as Hong Kong, Finland tied at 1-1 in Davis Cup tie

Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong backs Davis Cup surprise pick to ‘do some damage’

Hong Kong, Finland captains hold court before Davis Cup tie amid spectre of absent friends

Hong Kong Tennis Association (HKTA)

Coleman Wong scrambles to reach a forehand against Otto Virtanen on a difficult day for the Hong Kong No 1. Photo: Eugene Lee

Coleman Wong shows his frustration during his loss to Otto Virtanen. Photo: Eugene Lee

Otto Virtanen was responsible for all three Finland victories in their win. Photo: Eugene Lee

Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong (right) partners with Nicholas Cheng against Finland’s Otto Virtanen and Patrik Niklas-Salminen. Photo: Eugene Lee

Hong Kong claim ‘incredible, beautiful’ gold medal at Asian Road Cycling Championships

The Hong Kong team (from left): Chloe Leung, Franco Chu, Ceci Lee, Vincent Lau, Yang Qianyu, Charles Ng and Herve Dagorne. Photo: Cycling Association of Hong Kong, China.

The victorious Hong Kong team (centre) with the Kazakh runners-up (left) and third-placed China. Photo: Cycling Association of Hong Kong, China

Ceci Lee (right) presents Yang Qianyu with a scrapbook of her career. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong triathletes served early Olympic warning, as Bailee Brown hits form in Malaysia

Bailee Brown, here in action during the National Games, finished fourth in Malaysia. Photo: Eugene Lee

Oscar Coggins competing in the National Games back in November. Photo: Eugene Lee

Sport

Tennis

Visitors win doubles and singles without dropping a set on day two to complete 3-1 success at Victoria Park Tennis Stadium


Visitors win doubles and singles without dropping a set on day two to complete 3-1 success at Victoria Park Tennis Stadium.


Davis Cup

Coleman Wong Chak-lam

Davis Cup: Hong Kong undone by Finland, as Coleman Wong suffers against ice-cool Virtanen

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Visitors win doubles and singles without dropping a set on day two to complete 3-1 success at Victoria Park Tennis Stadium

Visitors win doubles and singles without dropping a set on day two to complete 3-1 success at Victoria Park Tennis Stadium