HK’s Davis Cup team top Benin for spot in next round
Captain Jack Wong, Australian Open junior doubles champion Coleman Wong win their singles matches
They might be Hong Kong’s youngest Davis Cup team, but they are now on track to become the most successful.
In the Davis Cup World Group II play-offs over the weekend, the Hong Kong men’s team defeated Benin 3-1 over a series of matches that were at times incredibly tight.
Led by captain Jack Wong and Australian Open junior doubles champion Coleman Wong, the duo won their opening singles matches to give Hong Kong a crucial lead heading into the doubles matches, where they continued to find success against locals Alexis Klegou and Sylvestre Monnou to win, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.
“They had a super loud and engaging home crowd cheering them on,” Jack Wong said of the raucous audience in the West African city of Cotonou, Benin.
“We’ve not really experienced that kind of atmosphere before. This is my second time competing in this event with the team. This time’s competition was really unique.”
The team were able to shut off the hugely partisan crowd to book themselves a spot in the next round of 2022 World Group II, alongside 11 other teams including Ireland, Latvia, Indonesia, Estonia and Taiwan. Those matches are set to take place in September.
Fresh from a stunning Australian Open junior doubles grand slam victory, Coleman Wong described conditions in Benin as “very difficult”.
“On the day of the singles, conditions were extremely windy and their No 2 was playing amazing at times, so I’m happy that we got the win on the road. It was challenging,” he said.
In the opening singles, Jack Wong split the first two sets with opposing No 1 Alexis Klegou. After gaining a 4-1 lead in the third, Klegou could not continue because of severe cramping in his left arm and was forced to retire, effectively handing Hong Kong a 1-0 advantage.
In the ensuing singles, Coleman Wong was trailing 2-1 in the first set when he produced successive breaks to go on a four-game run to stake himself a commanding 5-2 lead.
Hong Kong’s team of Jack Wong, Coleman Wong, Roger Ng and Dasson Chan form the youngest Hong Kong team on record to bring home a Davis Cup victory to date.
The city has a long history with the Davis Cup and first competed in the tournament in 1970, but success did not come until the late 1980s and again in the mid-1990s when they competed in Group I.
Wong said his team would continue to train and compete overseas soon, with himself, Roger Ng and Dasson Chan heading back to ITF level competitions.
On the day of the singles, conditions were extremely windy … I’m happy we got the win
COLEMAN WONG
Coleman Wong said he would return to the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain to train and prepare for future competitions.
Meanwhile, China’s Zhang Shuai battled back to win the third WTA tour title of her career at the Lyon Open in France, beating Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Zhang fought back from a break down twice in the final set before outlasting Yastremska in an hour and 46 minutes.
The win was her first singles title in more than four years and her first title outside Guangzhou, where she triumphed in 2013 and 2017.
“An incredible week, very high-quality match in the final,” Zhang said.