French Open heartbreak for Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong
City star falls at final qualifying hurdle, as big guns Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka discover first-round opponents
Hong Kong tennis star Coleman Wong Chak-lam was made to wait for his second grand slam main draw appearance after he fell at the last French Open qualifying hurdle on Thursday.
Wong, who will turn 22 in the first week of June, was beaten in three sets by Juan Carlos Prado Angelo, going down 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours and 21 minutes.
After dropping his opening two service games, Wong clawed back one break but Prado Angelo survived a 10th game of nine deuces to clinch the opening set.
In a topsy-turvy second, two three-game winning streaks from Wong sandwiched one identical run from his Bolivian opponent.
World No 113 Wong managed the first break of the decider to lead 2-1, but the 21-year-old Prado Angelo, a junior French Open runner-up in 2023, duly reeled off four straight games, before staving off one break point in the ninth to advance to round one.
Wong has played in the main draw of a grand slam once in his young career, reaching last year’s US Open third round, where he lost to Andrey Rublev in a thrilling five-set match.
In Thursday’s draw all eyes were on men’s world No 1 Jannik Sinner after defending champion Carlos Alcaraz withdrew because of a wrist injury.