Davis Cup: why Coleman Wong wants more court time before Asian Games, despite his unlikely ITF trium

Coleman Wong Chak-lam took advantage of the rain delays to launch a come-from-behind victory in the ITF M25 Hong Kong men’s singles final on Monday.

The final scheduled day of the event at Chinese Recreation Club in Causeway Bay had been suspended by torrential rain on Sunday with home contender Wong trailing Egor Gerasimov of Belarus 6-4, 4-3.

When they tried again on Monday, Gerasimov, 30, was leading 6-5 in the second set when Mother Nature stepped in once more to pause the action.

But Wong returned after the rain energised, and the two-time junior grand-slam doubles winner took the second set 7-6.

Hong Kong’s Wong and Wong settle for tennis doubles bronze at University Games

He then went on to take the deciding set and 10-4 to seal his maiden M25 singles title.

Wong and partner Jack Wong Hong-kit went on to lose the men’s doubles final, although Coleman Wong said he was glad there is still a chance to improve their understanding before the Asian Games.

The Hongkongers slipped to a straight sets defeat by Ryuki Matsuda of Japan and South Korea’s Ji Hoon-son in the delayed final, being out-served and broken twice before going down 7-5, 6-4.

But they can look to become more familiar in this weekend’s Davis Cup tie with Latvia, also on home soil, before they team up for Hong Kong at the Games in Hangzhou – one of the three events there that Coleman Wong is signed up for.

“I think we are getting to know each other better [on the court] now,” 19-year-old Coleman Wong said. “But I think we need to practise more.

“Luckily, we have the Davis Cup at Victoria Park, so we will have more time together.”

The clash with the Latvians comes in the first round of the Davis Cup’s World Group II. Hong Kong previously defeated Venezuela 3-1 in the play-offs in February.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51kwLG70a1moaeenHqsu82gZpqqpJ6wrbGObGlsbGFtf3CwwK%2BgrGWTqr1uw8eyZJynnJq6orqMsKann12srq%2FA0makqKqVYrCwwdGtZK2hnZp6or%2FImqVmn5GisrR5w56qqaGkmnqptdJmrKekmaCyrcWMoqufZaSntra5z6FkoaeenA%3D%3D